Settling of Scores
by Firestar385
Summary: An enemy from the past seeks revenge on Clow's reincarnation. Sakura and friends have to solve the mystery before history repeats itself for Eriol. SS ET. Ch 22: Altercation Part II, at the hospital. Eriol just can't get a break.
1. Chapter 1

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Summary: An enemy from the past seeks revenge on Clow's reincarnation. Sakura and friends have to solve the mystery before history repeats itself for Eriol.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Please read the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter for special information concerning this work.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Eriol Hiiragizawa set down the letter with a shaky hand before removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed shut. He concentrated on breathing deeply until he could think calmly again, but what little peace he had managed to find was shattered when his over-energetic guardian flounced into the room, startling him.

"Guess what, Eriol!" Ruby Moon exclaimed, skipping over to the desk where he was seated. Eriol barely managed to slide the letter under a book by the time she reached his side. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "Eddy Smith asked me to go on a date with him!" She clasped her hands together under her chin and her eyes were wide with excitement. For a moment Eriol was confused, but then he realized that it was not actually Ruby Moon he was talking to, but Nakuru Akizuki, his guardian's disguise. He also remembered that Eddy was her current love-interest, though they never lasted long with her. She fell in and out of love as easily as some people change their clothes. She was, however, fiercely loyal to her master.

Eriol mentally cursed himself as he tried to think of something intelligent to respond with. His current distraction, coupled with his decreased magic, often left him in situations where he was caught unawares. He hated it. He never wished to take back the magic he had given to Sakura's father, but right now he really wished he had most of it, still. For one of the first times in his life, he felt insecure.

As excited as she was about the cute British college student that she'd meet a few weeks ago, it didn't take Nakuru long to realize that something was bothering her master. Later, Spinel Sun would patronizingly inform her that something had been bothering Eriol for a while now, but she didn't pretend to be as observant as her feline counterpart.

"What's the matter, Eriol?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You just surprised me, is all," he answered, retrieving his glasses and putting them on so his guardian looked much less blurry. He was proud of himself for sounding much calmer than he felt.

Nakuru knew that it would be pointless to pressure him into talking to her. In all of the years since her creation, Eriol had never once caved in and told her more than he wanted to. Instead, she opted for the safe, "You know you can always talk to me."

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "So, tell me about Eddy." He had never met the young man, but he was sure that by the time Nakuru was done talking about him, he'd feel like he'd known the other man for years.

When Nakuru finished her long-winded account of everything that Eddy had said or done the last time she'd seen him, she decided to leave Eriol alone, knowing that he valued his solitary time. Eriol pulled the letter back out and re-read the words, assuring himself that they hadn't changed in the past fifteen minutes. They hadn't; it was still the same confident, masculine handwriting that he was becoming alarmingly familiar with.

_Clow Reed,_

_I become stronger every day. It will not be long now until I make my return, _

_and then I will destroy you as you failed to destroy me. I know that your magic is _

_weaker than it was before. You will not defeat me again._

_Sincerely yours,_

_X_

The stationary held the taint of strong, malicious magic that convinced Eriol that this was not some idle threat. Besides, no one who knew that he was Clow Reed's reincarnation would write him threatening letters. The magic stirred a memory of Clow's, but it was an incomplete one that Eriol couldn't make any sense of.

Just to make sure, Eriol looked again at the front of the envelope. As he suspected, it was addressed to Eriol Hiiragizawa.

It had been hard for the sorcerer to adjust to being Eriol again after his mission to help Sakura had completed. For so long he had been virtually consumed by Clow's soul and magic that he had nearly lost himself. After giving half of the magic to Fujitaka Kinomoto, Eriol had fallen back into himself. The past two years had been spent trying to reconstruct his true identity, separate from that of Clow, yet still strongly connected. He started to age again, but it was as if time had simply picked up where it left off - it did not try to catch up to where it should have been. Therefore, Eriol only looked fourteen, instead of the forty plus years he really was. To his annoyance, despite his mind's maturity and understanding, his body acted his age, so the sorcerer was being forced to suffer through puberty, just like his descendents. He was a constant source of amusement to Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon as his voice changed and his clumsiness increased. Sometimes he was suspicious that he was more accident-prone than his "cute little descendent."

Now, without the powerful comfort of Clow's complete magic, Eriol felt alone. He still had enough magic to defend himself and help others, but he didn't have the same confidence to deal with problems like he had when he'd been acting for Clow. He was therefore understandably rattled by this threat. He felt like a fourteen year-old trying to deal with the accumulated problems of a century or two-old adult.

Trying to ignore his rising paranoia for the moment, Eriol stood up and carried the letter towards the locked safe on the other side of the study. Within the safe were four other letters, each bearing a similarly cryptic message for Clow Reed in an envelope that was addressed to Eriol. Even as he walked he couldn't help looking fleetingly towards the windows and door.

In short, he was scared.

He was nearly half-way across the room when a sudden pain seemed to engulf him from the inside out. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to cry out or move his arms to catch himself before toppling to the hard wood floor. The last thing he heard before his entire world went black was the sound of a small explosion and crumbling brick.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Touya asked as Yukito stilled for a moment, looking lost. This happened enough that Touya knew Yue had noticed something that made him pause. It would only be a few seconds before Yukito would be able to explain.

Yukito blinked and shook his head slightly. "Did you say something, To-ya?"

"I asked you what happened," Touya informed him.

"Oh, I'm not sure." Yukito frowned. "I thought I sensed something, but now it's gone. It wasn't something very strong, anyway."

"Ah. Was it something magic?" Very rarely did Touya miss his ability to sense the presence of magic, but during times like these, he wished he could share the burden with Yukito. He didn't like it when his best friend looked upset.

"No, but it felt like it affected something magic."

"Sakura?"

"No, not Sakura. If anything had happened to her, I would have felt it acutely," Yukito assured him. "Besides, Kerberos is with her."

"Good."

"Yes, and I don't think it's something to worry about. There is so much magic in this world, and sometimes it fluctuates. That is probably all that happened," Yukito explained. Touya nodded. Both young men were able to easily forget about the strange occurrence and return to their dinner. Outside, the snow continued to fall without any indication of letting up soon.

* * *

Sakura swung her legs back and forth, letting the backs of her feet thud against the front of the sofa every few seconds. None of the other young people in the room seemed to notice, and if they did, no one made any comments. All were equally as worried as the Card Mistress. Or, asleep.

Syaoran slept deeply on the couch beside her. No one blamed him for falling asleep, as nothing exciting was happening in the house as they waited and he was struggling to recover from a nasty cold that had plagued him for over a week. Even now, his breathing sounded a little rough and his nose was pink from contact with too many tissues.

The other two people in the room were Tomoyo and Kero. Tomoyo was usually content to daydream, thinking up new costumes for her friends and how to best edit her new movies, but Sakura's tension and her own worry was distracting her. Besides that, she was having a difficult time deciding on what to make next for Syaoran. She thought the couple looked extremely cute when dressed in matching outfits, but Syaoran didn't always think that was the case and unlike Sakura, he would refuse to wear something he didn't like. In the two years that had passed since changing the last Sakura Card, she had gotten to know the boy much better, so was better able to gage his likes and dislikes. She was sure he wouldn't be too fond of the male version of Sakura's newest adorable outfit.

Kero, the animated plushie, was quietly mourning the lack of anything sweet to eat. He was mourning quietly since Sakura had scolded him for being greedy and loud. She didn't want him to wake up Syaoran and she was too concerned to care about his craving for sugar. Personally, Kero didn't care if he woke up the brat or not, but he didn't want to upset Sakura any more. He waited impatiently for Kinomoto Fujitaka to return with food, but the weather was keeping Sakura's father out later than normal.

The weather was the main reason that the three friends and the guardian were suffering from worry in the living room of Sakura's home. It was snowing hard, to the point of zero visibility, so it was too dangerous to try to travel. The weather hadn't been quite as bad when they'd arrived after school, but it had grown progressively worse as the evening progressed.

"It's almost snowing hard enough for this to be a card," Sakura commented, even though it was impossible for the weather to have come from a card; all of the cards were securely put away in her bedroom. "I'm worried about my dad." The last comment seemed non-sequitur, but each conscious person had already been thinking about where the single father could have disappeared to. It was now past the time that he would have arrived home, even with staying late at work and being delayed by the snow.

"Your father is very resourceful and smart, Sakura-chan. I'm sure he is fine," Tomoyo assured her.

"Thank you," Sakura said with a genuine smile. She loved to hear people say nice things about her loved ones.

Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house. Sakura jumped to her feet and darted out of the living room. The other two followed her, eager to see the man for themselves, and Kero wanted to make sure that the delayed man had brought food. He had never really been worried; as a creation of Clow, he would have known if something had happened to the magician's reincarnation. Sakura's father was still trying to shake the snow from his hair and coat when his daughter launched herself at him. He caught her with a laugh and pressed a wet kiss to her warm cheek.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Otou-san!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." He released her down so he could removed his snow-covered shoes and hang up his coat, hat, and gloves. He then took inventory of the teenagers watching him expectantly. Two fourteen year-old girls and a floating plushie. He had expected there to be one more. "Where is Syaoran-kun?" Fujitaka asked his daughter. Despite the dislike that Touya pretended to have towards the tousled haired Chinese boy, Fujitaka genuinely liked the boy. That didn't stop him, however, from hoping that Sakura's infatuation with the boy was just a phase, much like her crush on Yukito had been. He ignored the fact that Sakura's feelings towards Syaoran hadn't changed in the two years since they'd admitted their love to each other.

"He is in the living room," Sakura answered.

"Ah," Fujitaka responded. "Well, shall I make some hot soup? I need to thaw on the inside, too, I believe."

"You just returned home, Otou-san!" Sakura protested. "I can make soup and Tomoyo-chan can help me."

"That would be wonderful," Fujitaka agreed. Sakura beamed at him and he couldn't help but smile in return.

"Come on, Tomoyo-chan! Let's make dinner." Now that she had a task to complete, and one that involved caring for her family, her worry was immediately forgotten and she had regained much of her positive energy. Tomoyo eagerly agreed to help, and the disguised guardian followed them, making numerous suggestions.

Fujitaka bypassed the kitchen and silently entered the living room. True to Sakura's word, the young Chinese sorcerer was within, still fast asleep. Fujitaka knew that the boy had been ill for awhile; the trio of friends had been spending a lot of time together at the Kinomoto house recently. At the Kinomoto house, everyone knew all about the cards, so they didn't have to be as secretive as they were around their classmates and Tomoyo's mother, and it was lonely at Syaoran's apartment. His mother had agreed to let him continue his schooling in Japan for a while longer, so Wei had also returned to act as a legal guardian. Besides that, Fujitaka liked having the couple close, where he could keep an eye on them.

A hand on Syaoran's forehead revealed that the boy's temperature had risen marginally again, and the fact that he didn't waken with the influx of a new magical energy coupled with that to make Fujitaka frown slightly. For the moment, he decided that it would be better for the boy to sleep than to wake him for dinner. Unlike when he had first started to get to know Syaoran, the teenager was too big to be picked up, so Fujitaka gently nudged his shoulder until Syaoran's bleary eyes cracked open to see who was bothering him. Two years ago, Syaoran would have snapped awake in a nervous fit to find Sakura's father leaning over him, but now he simply sighed sleepily and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"You are home, Kinomoto-san," Syaoran murmured, trying to wrap his fuzzy mind around the fact that the long wait was over. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. Fujitaka sat down next to the teenager and took his turn being concerned. He had noticed over the years that the Chinese boy was much more susceptible to common illnesses than Sakura or Tomoyo, but usually Syaoran bounced back quickly and never let his temporary poor health slow him down. His current behavior was very out-of-the-ordinary.

"Hie," the older man replied.

The head of the Kinomoto family was still getting used to his own magic that had been returned to him at the end of Sakura's trials. It had been something familiar and foreign at the same time, though he was able to gain control of it more quickly than he might have been able to if he wasn't Clow's half-reincarnation. Taking a deep breath to control his emotions, Fujitaka placed one hand on Syaoran's forehead and used the other to grasp one of the teen's. Syaoran predictably tried to pull away, but Fujitaka was stronger. Connected like this, Fujitaka could literally see the boy's magical aura. It was diminished somewhat, no doubt from his physical weakness, but Fujitaka thought he caught a glimpse of something yellow tinting the edges of the green aura. As soon as he tried to focus on it, it was gone, and he couldn't glimpse it again. He quickly convinced himself that he had only imagined it, or that it was reflection of the light coming from the lamp behind the teenager. He pulled his hands back to himself.

"Have you taken any medicine recently?" Fujitaka questioned.

"Sakura-chan gave me something," Syaoran answered. He found the plastic cup that she had brought him the dark liquid in and handed it to Fujitaka. Sakura's father recognized the small remains of liquid and couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" Syaoran asked suspiciously. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open and he didn't like it when people seemed to know something that he didn't.

"She gave you cold medicine that will also help you sleep, instead of the kind to help you stay awake," he explained, ruffling the back of the boy's hair. "Come, you should lay down some more to let the medicine wear off." He stood and pulled Syaoran to his feet as well.

"Sleep medicine?" Syaoran was not happy about that, despite knowing that Sakura wouldn't have done it on purpose. Sometimes she was just that oblivious. He absently let Fujitaka guide him towards the stairs that would lead upstairs. It took most of his concentration not to trip over his own feet.

Fujitaka had to pass by the dining room and kitchen to reach the stairs, so he paused briefly to tell Sakura and her friends that he was taking Syaoran upstairs. Sakura looked very worried to see her friend still looking so miserable, but Fujitaka assured her that it shouldn't be too long before Syaoran was well again. He also asked with a laugh, "Did you mean to give him the night-time medicine?"

"Hoe!" Sakura exclaimed, covering her O-shaped mouth with her hands. Tomoyo and Kero couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's shocked expression, though Tomoyo quickly stopped to assure Sakura that no harm would befall the Chinese sorcerer and remind her that their dinner was about to burn. Fujitaka left with Syaoran, taking the youth to Touya's old room, which was empty since Touya and Yukito had found an apartment together, closer to heart of Tokyo.

By the time Fujitaka had made sure Syaoran was comfortable in Touya's narrow bed and had returned downstairs, the steaming soup was ready to eat. After dinner, he would call Wei and Sonomi to let them know that their children were safe for the night. It would do no one any good to try to travel in the bad weather.

tbc...

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading this far.

Here's the deal with this story. I said I wouldn't start posting this before it was done, but here it is, Chapter One. The reason I changed my mind is because I haven't worked on this story in a while. In fact, I've started a new story in the _Inuyasha_ fandom. So what I'm going to do is post what I have of this story (23 completed chapters, a start on the 24th 75,000+ words) every so often to see if people are interested. If there seems to be an interest, I'll finish the story. If not, then it was fun writing, anyway.

Also, this story was not written with chapters. The "chapters" are every 5 pages or so, whenever there seemed to be a natural break in the story (or a good place for a cliffhanger). This said, some chapters may be longer and some shorter. Just a heads up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you to those who gave the first chapter a try. Please let me know what you think via reviews. :)

**CHAPTER TWO**

Syaoran pressed his face against the cold glass, enjoying the sensation of the cold against his skin for two reasons. First, it helped to cool his heated forehead, and second, because he knew he was inside where the bitter cold couldn't reach him. A small part of him wished that he was outside with the two girls that he could see building a snowman in the yard, but that was only because he loved spending time with Sakura. He wouldn't put up with the cold for many other reasons besides that.

The sound of someone entering the room drew Syaoran's attention away from the scene outside. He looked over his shoulder to see Sakura's father walking towards him, holding two mugs of steaming tea. The snow had been so bad that practically the whole city had been shut down, so everyone had stayed home to enjoy the deep, white snow. Fortunately, it was the first day of the students' winter break so no classes were missed, though Fujitaka couldn't go to the university to continue his research.

Syaoran politely accepted the mug and took a small sip to test the temperature. Sakura's father really was good at making tea. It was no wonder that Sakura was such a good cook, with her father teaching her.

"How are you feeling?" Fujitaka asked, pressing the back of his free hand to Syaoran's cheek. Syaoran endured it because he was Sakura's _father_, and besides, it had been almost longer than he could remember since someone had acted like a father to him. Wei was too concerned with propriety to ever take more interest in his charge than that of a teacher and temporary guardian.

"Better," Syaoran replied. He drank more of his tea. The heat of the steam on his face was a stark contrast to the cold of the window pane.

"Good. You still have a fever, though." Syaoran didn't say anything, but he gritted his teeth. He hated being sick, and for some strange reason, he couldn't seem to shake this cold off. He really hoped that he would get over it before Wei became concerned enough to tell his mother. Li Yelan looked for any excuse to drag her only son back to Hong Kong.

Outside, Sakura seemed to trip over nothing and landed face first in the snow. Syaoran had to stop himself from running outside to help her even as Fujitaka, Tomoyo, and Kero laughed lightly at her blunder. Still, this was enough for the girls to decide to come inside and enjoy some of the warm tea that Fujitaka had brewed.

"What kind of tea did you make, Otou-san?" Sakura asked, peeking into the top of the kettle.

"Green," her father replied. "It is good for the immune system."

"Oh, good. I shall find some honey, then," she announced.

"Honey?" her father questioned.

"My throat feels a little sore," she said with a shrug. Syaoran's eyes widened in alarm while Fujitaka frowned.

"Isn't that how your cold started, Li-kun?" Tomoyo asked innocently.

* * *

Nakuru was a few rooms down from Eriol's study when she heard what sounded like an explosion go off within the room she had just left. The entire house shook and she had to brace herself against the wall to avoid tumbling over. As soon as the shaking ceased, she sprinted back to the study, already calling her master's name. Along the way, she switched to her true form.

"Eriol!" She spotted him almost immediately, laying face down in the middle of the floor amid the rubble of the wall that had blown out. She dropped to her knees beside his still form. "Eriol, are you okay?"

"What happened?" demanded Spinel Sun, entering the room in his true form as well.

"I don't know," she answered. "I just heard the explosion and he was like this!" She carefully rolled the human onto his back, noticing immediately that his glasses were missing. A quick glance at the floor revealed their location - a few feet away with both lenses completely shattered. "Eriol, wake up!" She patted his cheek gently.

"Be careful with him!" Spinel Sun snapped. His tail twitched nervously.

"I am being careful. Go find some water."

"How am I supposed to carry a glass of water?" Spinel Sun demanded.

"Ugh, just never mind." Ruby Moon turned her attention back to Eriol. "Please, wake up, master." To her relief, the boy's eyes fluttered and then slowly opened. His brow furrowed in pain.

"What happened?" he asked. He couldn't see his two guardians clearly, but he could sense their presences.

"You tell us," responded Spinel. "We just heard an explosion."

"An explosion?" He struggled to sit up and looked over his shoulder to where a large hole gaped in the wall. He could see the wet, wintery landscape of the English countryside. "I don't remember that happening…"

"Master, it bears the residue of your magic," Spinel Sun noted.

"I didn't…" Eriol stopped and frowned. Slowly, memories started to return. The most prevalent was the feeling of intense pain and then the sound of the explosion. He focused on the pain, 

thinking that there was something different about it. It wasn't a physical pain; it almost felt like it had been his magic that was hurting. It had become unbearable, and then everything had gone black. Had he lost control of the magic?

"What are you thinking, Eriol?" Ruby Moon questioned.

"I'm not sure," he answered. He was filled with half-baked theories that didn't seem to fully make sense. He had never lost control of the magic even when he'd possessed all of it. How could he lose control now that he had much less?

"If you are feeling up to it, master, perhaps you should fix the wall," Spinel Sun suggested calmly. "It will quickly grow cold in here."

"How can you even suggest such a thing?" Ruby Moon demanded angrily.

"No, he's right," Eriol told her. Shakily, he climbed to his feet and reached for the key that would turn into his staff. "Release!" he commanded it, but nothing happened. He tried again. "It doesn't work!"

"How can it not work?" Ruby Moon asked fearfully. "Is your magic gone?"

"No, it's not gone. We would disappear, too," Spinel Sun pointed out. "Something must be blocking it."

Eriol pursed his lips and quickly sorted through the memories that he had inherited from Clow Reed, trying to find anything that would explain what was happening. It appeared as though this had never happened to the great sorcerer and he hadn't foreseen it, either, as there was no memory that could help him. His thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang shrilly. Ruby Moon answered.

"It's for you, Eriol," she announced.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, but his voice sounds somewhat familiar." She handed the phone off to her master, who took it warily.

"Hello?"

"Now you've seen what I can do, Clow Reed," the masculine voice hissed. "I will destroy your reincarnation, and your soul will be lost forever." Eriol slammed the phone down and forced himself to not start shaking. His guardians looked at him in surprise. "It's nothing," he stated, very unconvincingly. "What do you think about going to Japan for a while?"

If anything, his guardians looked even more concerned.

* * *

It snowed again overnight, adding to the already impassable mess that covered the whole of Tomoeda. Fujitaka supposed it was well enough that everything was closed again, since the young teen currently curled up in his son's old bed wasn't going anywhere soon. Fortunately, Sakura's sore throat had disappeared and she had felt perfectly fine upon waking this morning. That was more than could be said about her boyfriend.

Fujitaka crossed the threshold into the room and placed the tray he was carrying on the corner of the desk. He sat down gently on the edge of the bed and placed his palm on Syaoran's forehead. Unlike when he had first checked on the boy earlier that morning, Fujitaka didn't jerk his hand away at the burning temperature.

The touch woke the Chinese teenager and he peered up at the professor with bleary eyes. "K-kinomoto-san?"

"Hie," the older man replied softly. He brushed Syaoran's bangs, damp with sweat, away from his eyes. "Can you sit up to drink some warm milk with honey?"

Syaoran ground his teeth together and laboriously pushed himself into a sitting position. He couldn't hold the position long, however, and he slumped forward. Fujitaka caught him and pushed him back upright. Using one arm to support the ill sorcerer, he used the other to take hold of the steaming mug. Syaoran's hands were too shaky to support the drink, so Fujitaka helped him by holding the mug while Syaoran sipped. Fujitaka didn't notice, but some of the red in Syaoran's face wasn't due to his high fever, but rather his embarrassment at not being able to feed himself.

Once Syaoran had drunk as much as his stomach could hold, Fujitaka replaced the cup on the tray and helped the boy lie down again. Fujitaka placed his hand on Syaoran's stomach and gently moved it in a circular motion; it was something he'd done for both Touya and Sakura when they had felt ill as youngsters. Syaoran was a bit older than his children had been, but it achieved the same effect. Fujitaka also used the connection to check on the boy's aura again. This time, the yellow tinge was unmistakable. There was almost as much yellow as there was green. This was not good.

Syaoran's already heavy eyelids dropped shut completely and he breathed deeply. Before the boy could fall asleep completely, Fujitaka spoke.

"I think I should call your guardian."

"No…" Syaoran muttered. "'M fine."

"You've gotten steadily worse when you should be recovering," Fujitaka pointed out. Syaoran's face scrunched up in displeasure at this prognosis but he didn't say anything. Fujitaka interpreted this as permission, though he truly didn't need it.

"You can use my phone," Syaoran told him weakly. "Backpack."

"Thank you. I will check on you in a few minutes," Fujitaka promised. He stood and found the student's school bag. He found the phone, but the battery had died. With a sigh, he left the room, taking the phone with him. It was the same as Sakura's phone, so he should be able to replenish the battery using her charger.

He found Sakura and Tomoyo in the living room, both of them looking slightly forlorn. "Sakura-san, will you charge Syaoran-kun's phone for me? The battery is dead. I am going to call Wei-san to let him know that Syaoran-kun is feeling worse."

"Sure," she replied readily, glad to have something to do. She was already tempted to use Fiery to melt the snow that was trapping her inside her house. She also needed something to distract her from her very ill boyfriend. She took the phone and raced upstairs to her room. She returned downstairs after a minute.

Fujitaka used the house phone to call Syaoran's house. There was no answer. "Wei-san isn't there?" Sakura asked worriedly. Something seemed wrong about that to her.

"I will try again in a few minutes," Fujitaka said to calm her. "He may have simply not made it to the phone before it stopped ringing." He knew that the older Chinese man had to be within his home; the snow was too bad for anyone to go very far and he had talked to the man the night before last.

Ten minutes later, he tried again. There was still no answer. Sakura sat on the couch next to Tomoyo and chewed on her lower lip. Tomoyo did her best to comfort her best friend, but she was unable to make much of a difference. She didn't have magic like Sakura did, but even she was feeling that something was off about Wei not answering the phone.

A minute after hanging up, the phone came to life by itself. Fujitaka, being the closest, picked it up on the second ring. The tension in the room had gotten to him as well, but he was able to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard his son's voice. "How are you, Touya-kun?"

"I'm fine, Otou-san. Is Sakura-chan well?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Fujitaka glanced into the living room where the two girls were watching him curiously.

"Yuki thought he sensed something was wrong with her," Touya explained. "He senses great worry from her."

"Well, Syaoran-kun is very ill and I have not been able to reach his guardian, Wei, even though he shouldn't have been able to go anywhere with this unnatural snow." There was a brief few seconds of quiet as Touya relayed this information back to Yukito. Fujitaka could hear the muted conversation as the two college students argued about leaving the house. Eventually, Touya came back on the phone.

"Yue says he will go over to the Li's apartment and check on Wei-san. Then, we will come over to the house."

"I do not want you traveling if it is unsafe, Touya-kun," Fujitaka argued.

"Don't worry, Otou-san. We'll fly." Fujitaka wasn't given the opportunity to say he thought that was an even worse idea because his son offered a hurried good-bye and then hung up the phone. Fujitaka made his way into the living room.

"Yue-san is going to check on Wei-san, and then he and your brother are going to come here," he explained to Sakura.

"I hope everything is well with Wei-san," Sakura mumbled. Tomoyo clasped one of her best friend's hands between her own.

tbc...

Reviews and constructive criticism most welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you AngelEmCutie for reviewing!

**CHAPTER THREE**

The airport terminal was crowded, a situation which wasn't helped by the fact that all the flights to Tokyo had be canceled due the snow in Japan. Nakuru didn't think sitting in the airport for hours seemed like a fun way to pass her afternoon, but she wasn't about to abandon her master. For some strange reason, Eriol had wanted to remain at Heathrow in case a flight managed to get through. He would take any flight that would take him out of England and put him somewhere close to Japan.

Nakuru could make the best of almost any situation, however. She bought herself a magazine, a pack of bubble gum, and a new CD. She was currently seated in one of the terminal seats, one leg crossed over the other, elevated foot twitching back and forth in time with the music only she could hear through her headphones. The magazine rested in her lap so she could turn the page when she wanted. Her other elbow rested on the back of the seat next to her, where Eriol slouched, using his rolled up jacket as a pillow. He had fallen asleep about half an hour ago, which Nakuru was thankful for. Her master hadn't slept much the night before, and according to Suppi, he hadn't been sleeping much before that, either. Nakuru twirled a few strands of his silky, dark navy hair between her fingers absently as she focused on the newest gossip about England's stars.

Spinel Sun wasn't enjoying himself quite as much. Acting like a stuffed animal became very tiresome after a while and he wished that he had the same freedom as Ruby Moon to move about, even in her disguise. He sat on Eriol's lap, trying to keep an eye on as much of the airport as he could without moving obviously. To his chagrin, Nakuru began to hum to herself, and he was sure it was off-key. He wanted to tell her to be quiet, but it would ruin his disguise. Instead, a stress mark appeared on his forehead.

"Oh, I love this song!" she suddenly announced to the whole airport, causing more than a few heads to turn in her direction. She just smiled happily at all the delayed travelers, while three new stress marks appeared on Spinel Sun's forehead. He was convinced that his co-guardian really was insane. She also caused Eriol to jerk awake in alarm at the sudden exclamation. Ever oblivious when excited about something, she leaned over to plant a wet kiss on her master's cheek before launching out of her seat. "I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want anything, Eriol?"

"No, thank you," he answered tiredly.

"Okay," she responded cheerfully before moving away. Half of the terminal watched her progress. Spinel Sun couldn't believe that she had just left Eriol sitting there alone. What if he was attacked again?

Nakuru was only gone for ten minutes. She returned holding two steaming cups, one of cocoa and the other of a dark tea. "Here you go, sweetie," she offered, placing the cup of tea in Eriol's hands. She took a sip of her own drink and made a small sound of pleasure. "Sorry I didn't get you anything, Suppi, but it has sugar in it…" she trailed off, smirking at the "toy."

"Eriol said he didn't want anything," Spinel Sun said through clenched teeth. Thanks to her hearing, she could hear him while the other patrons could not.

Nakuru didn't seem to be bothered by this. "Did you know, Suppi, that one of the princes goes to Eddy's school?" She pointed to the article in the magazine about the royal family. Spinel Sun fell to the floor. Nakuru laughed as she shifted to make herself more comfortable. She draped one arm over Eriol's shoulders. "How long do you plan to wait here, Eriol?"

"Not much longer," he promised, taking a sip of his tea. The hot liquid filled him with warmth and he was glad that Nakuru had purchased the beverage for him. It was a sign of how she really did care about and understood what he needed, even when sometimes he didn't know himself.

* * *

Across the terminal, a man slowly dropped one corner of his newspaper to watch the magical trio for a minute. To anyone who didn't know better, it looked like a college-aged girl with her younger relation - possibly brother - and his stuffed toy, but the man knew better. He knew that he wouldn't risk an open attack in the crowded airport, though his fingers itched to torment the magician. His hatred for Clow Reed was boundless, nurturing within him a sick fascination with his reincarnation. What a fool Clow Reed had been, tying up his soul and magic in a fourteen year old boy. It would be too easy to simply destroy what was left of the world's most powerful sorcerer, so he opted instead for playing with the boy. It would draw out his revenge and make it even sweeter. Also, he was sure he could make some use out of the boy and his magic before exacting his complete revenge.

Closing his eyes, he opened his senses to the magic that swirled throughout the world. Because of his proximity to the reincarnation, it was easy for him to find the thread of red magic that lead straight to the teenager sipping his tea across the open room. Reaching out with his aura, he fed energy into the red magic, increasing its potency. Once he had a firm grip on the thread, he opened his eyes so he could watch the fun. Unlike the last time, he didn't send one large surge, but rather just enough to be controllable.

Eriol immediately sensed the same pain rising in him that he had felt right before blowing a whole wall out of his English mansion. Panic flared briefly in him, but he easily squelched it, knowing that if he didn't control the power surge this time, many people could die. He gripped his paper cup tightly and tried to focus on forcing the uprising magic back down. His hands started to shake and the hot tea sloshed over onto his bare skin, burning slightly.

"Eriol?" Nakuru questioned, noticing that her master was shaking.

"Help me," Eriol said through clenched teeth. The cup crumpled and fell from his hands.

Despite her flighty disposition, Nakuru wasn't stupid and she immediately could tell what was going on. She didn't understand how the spell was being cast, but she wasn't about to let her precious master be used as a human magic conductor. She threw up an invisible shield that completely blocked anything magical. It cut off Eriol from the source of his power, but it also stopped the influx of someone else's power, who was trying to force Eriol to lose control.

Eriol gasped faintly at the sudden loss of his magic, but the break gave him the chance to open his eyes and search for his tormenter. He caught a faint glimpse of yellow before the extra magic fled into the myriad of colors that was the magic of the world.

"Let go, Ruby Moon," he instructed quietly. His guardian, also sensing that it was safe now, let down the shield. She immediately wrapped her arms around her master and hugged him tightly.

"I'm going to kill that bastard with my own hands," she vowed.

"Nak-u-ru… can't breathe…"

"Oops! Sorry." She let go of Eriol, who took a few deep breaths to refill his lungs.

"Come on," he said, once he could breathe again. "We have to find the source of that magic. Look for someone with a yellow aura." Honestly, he didn't expect to find anything. Anyone with enough magic to do… whatever it was that was happening… would know to hide his aura, but Eriol was going to try, anyway. Even with only half of Clow Reed's magic, he was more powerful than most sorcerers.

Nothing.

The man with the newspaper calmly stood up and walked across the terminal, towards the restroom. He had made a mistake - the boy had seen his aura, but it wasn't the end of his plot. He focused briefly on his other spell. He pulled a small vial out of his pocket once he was safely within the men's room. The liquid inside had once been a dark red, but now it was a polluted green color. He mumbled a few words and the color changed more from red to green.

"I shall attack you, Clow Reed, mind, body, and magic. How about a little more poison in your blood? That should slow down your reincarnation." He wasn't disturbed by the fact that so far, his spell didn't seem to be making that big of an impact on the dark-haired boy. Clow had been powerful, after all.

* * *

It was the first time Touya had ever heard his peaceful father curse. Even when his mother had been on her death bed, Fujitaka had been calm, despite the profound sadness in his face. Touya told himself that he'd like to curse about Syaoran puking on his old bed, the little punk. The fact that he wasn't swearing showed that he truly understood Fujitaka's concern. This wasn't a normal illness they were dealing with and it was quickly becoming something that the older Kinomoto didn't know how to deal with. It didn't help that they were trapped in the house with the only method of escape being a flight with Yue or Kerberos. It also didn't help that the two college students… well, one college student and a guardian, had arrived with very bad news.

Wei was dead.

Yue had found him in Syaoran's apartment, ice cold and obviously gone for a while. Yue wasn't a doctor and so couldn't tell how the old man had died (there was no evidence of murder), and there was no sign of a magical attack, either. Moving the body wouldn't have accomplished anything, so the guardian had simply picked the stiff body off the floor and placed it gently on the nearest couch to wait until the snow melted and Syaoran decided what to do.

However, Syaoran wasn't in any condition to be planning funerals. The puking wasn't even from hearing that his mentor and guardian had died. Fujitaka had been about to break the news when Syaoran had taken another turn for the worst.

Fujitaka had ordered everyone but his son from the room. Touya had the nasty job of trying to keep up with the cleaning and fetching whatever his father thought could possibly help. It seemed like forever before Syaoran was able to stop. Touya actually felt bad for the smaller teen, who was currently shivering with his face hidden against Fujitaka's chest. Fujitaka held him tightly, his own features creased with worry and vexation.

"Nadeshiko-chan, I need your help," Fujitaka spoke into the emptiness of the room.

She appeared, shining brightly. Touya had to shield his eyes briefly, until they adjusted. She gave him a fond smile, which he returned weakly. Nadeshiko then turned to look at her husband.

"His own body is being used against him," she said softly. "His blood, which should be his life source, is slowly poisoning him."

"No," Fujitaka muttered as he shook his head in denial. He could only think of how Nadeshiko had died, her own body betraying her.

"It is not as you think," she assured him. "It is unnatural."

"How do I stop it?" he questioned.

"I have to return," she stated instead of answering. There were tears in her eyes. "His mother…" She faded out of sight.

"His mother?" Touya repeated in confusion. Fujitaka looked over at his son in surprise.

"You saw her?"

"Yeah- Yes! I did." Now Touya looked surprised, but only for as long as he was in the room. Fujitaka could hear him yelling down the stairs as he sprinted down them, "Yuki! Yuki, I saw my mother again!" It almost made him smile, but the shaking boy in his arms reminded him of his more immediate concern. He needed to contact Syaoran's mother.

"Syao-kun," he said softly, using the nickname he sometimes heard his daughter use. "Can you tell me how to reach your mother in Hong Kong?" Syaoran just shook his head, too ill to think straight.

He had long since given up on hiding his illness from the perceptive woman. Right now, there was no else that he wanted more than his mother. Fujitaka was doing his best, but Li Yelan, despite her seemingly cold disposition, understood her little boy in ways that no one else could. She always made him better. As much as Syaoran wanted his mother, through the fog in his mind he could not remember the numbers that strung together to form his phone number in China.

Touya returned with Yukito in tow. They had left the two girls downstairs with Kero. The little "plushie" was not happy to be left with the two weepy girls, but the two young men had ignored his protests. "Will you contact his mother?" Touya asked, seeing that the two on the bed hadn't moved since he'd left.

"Yes, but I do not know the number. Syaoran-kun is too ill to tell me."

Yukito sat on the edge of the bed next to Syaoran's legs. He gently placed a hand on the boy's back.

"I see," Touya responded. "Would Sakura-chan know?"

"I will ask her," Touya volunteered. He had just stepped out of the room when the house phone began to ring. Since he was already standing, Touya re-entered the room and picked up the phone on his old desk. "Moshi moshi? This is Kinomoto Touya." It was a quiet for a second and then Touya nearly dropped the phone. Fujitaka and Yukito looked at him in alarm. "One moment, please," Touya said, then passed the phone to his father. "It's Li Yelan!" he hissed.

Both Fujitaka and Yukito sweat-dropped.

Fujitaka recovered and took the phone from his son. "Hello, Li-san," he greeted calmly.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Nakuru demanded, grabbing the back of Eriol's collar before he could dart into the men's restroom. Eriol nearly choked due to the rough treatment.

"I sense the aura in there," Eriol whispered, making sure to keep one eye on the door.

"And you think I'm going to just let you waltz in there by yourself?" she asked protectively. "What if he does the magic thingy again?"

"I'll be ready this time. Let me go, Nakuru, please." He added the last word because he hated to order his guardians around. He had very few other companions and he didn't want them to feel as if he looked down on them. He pulled out his key and clutched it tightly in one hand so it would be ready at a moment's notice.

"Hurry up," she snapped, knowing that she couldn't prevent him from doing anything he had set his mind on. Eriol thanked her mutely before slipping into the restroom. He was on high alert and he could feel the yellow aura strongly.

On the far side of the tiled room, standing near the sinks, was a young man in a blazer and khaki slacks. He smiled darkly at the teenager.

"Who are you?" Eriol demanded.

"An old friend. You don't remember me, Clow Reed?"

"I'm not Clow Reed," Eriol informed him in an even voice. He knew that to show emotion would give his opponent too much ammunition against him.

"No… Clow Reed was a little bit taller," the stranger smirked, walking up to the teenager. He held out his palm about twelve inches above Eriol's head. "You've got a little catching up to do, Hiiragizawa." Eriol moved so he was no longer within arm's reach of the stranger.

"Answer me. Who are you?"

"Ah, but that's the fun part, isn't it? I know who you are, who you _really_ are, and you don't seem to know anything about me." The man closed his eyes briefly, searching out the magical threads. He reached for Eriol's again, intending to give the upstart a little shock, but Eriol reacted quickly, throwing his own pulse of magic and sending the man staggering back a few paces. "Brat," the man snapped.

"Tell me how you know Clow Reed," Eriol insisted, engaging his key and holding the staff in front of himself defensively.

"Like I said, we're old friends." The word "friend" had a strikingly sinister tone to it. "Now answer a question for me, Clow Reed."

"Stop calling me Clow Reed," Eriol commanded. He vaguely wondered if this was how his cute descendent felt… nah, Eriol was never threatening Syaoran when he used the nickname. The man ignored him.

"How do you feel?" The man whipped out a vile of greenish-red muck and chanted a brief spell over it. The ratio of green to red increased and the man watched eagerly, expecting the smaller magician to fall over in physical pain.

"The same?" Eriol replied questioningly. He was under the impression that the spell was supposed to do something to him, but perhaps it had backfired or failed.

"I can feel it working!" the man yelled, glaring at the vile. "You, the 14 year-old male carrier of Clow Reed's blood, should barely be clinging to life. What are you doing?" He was afraid for a second that he had underestimated Clow Reed.

"What?" Eriol asked in spite of himself.

"I poison you! I can feel you weakening as your blood painfully distributes the poison to the rest of your body. Why are you not reacting? You carry the blood of Clow Reed!"

"I don't," Eriol corrected, his own mind spinning as he tried to understand what the man was talking about. Fourteen… male… blood of Clow… Li Syaoran! The realization struck Eriol and he was barely able to hide his expression.

"You…" This made the man feel better about his spell and he grinned maliciously. "Well, someone does. But since it's not you, why waste my energy with this spell anymore? I'll just kill him so I can focus on you." The man held up the vile, evil grin still going full force.

"No!" Eriol reacted without thinking. He launched himself forward, no plan or idea what would happen, only knowing that he wasn't about to stand by while this mad man killed his adorable little descendent. The man started to laugh, clearly unfazed by the smaller magician's attack. He swatted Eriol aside easily.

* * *

Fujitaka took the phone from his son. "Hello, Li-san," he greeted calmly.

"Kinomoto-san," she replied succinctly. "Do you know where my son is?"

"Yes, he's right here with me." He heard Yelan give a small sigh of relief before her strong voice returned to the line.

"I have been trying to reach him for over a day. Has he been at your house the whole time?"

"Yes, Li-san."

"And Wei, his guardian, is aware of this?"

"No, he is not. Not anymore," Fujitaka replied cryptically. He didn't want Syaoran to learn of his mentor's demise by overhearing a phone conversation.

"Not anymore?" Yelan repeated. She was very perceptive, even over long distances, however. "Did something happen to Wei?"

"Yes."

"What?" she asked.

"Li-san, forgive me for not answering your question sufficiently, but I am glad that you called. I was about to pick up the phone to call you. Syaoran-kun is very ill."

"What is wrong with him?" she demanded, instantly distracted from her previous line of questioning.

"We're not sure, but I think it is something magical. He has been very ill physically, but his aura is also off."

"How do you mean, off?" She closed her eyes and concentrated on her youngest child. It didn't take her too long to trace him, and she could instantly tell what Kinomoto meant. Instead of being a vibrant green, it was a sickly yellow-green, and more yellow than green, to boot.

"It's changing color," Fujitaka admitted. In his lap, Syaoran shifted, raising his heavy head slightly to look up at Fujitaka. The older man dropped his head to press his cheek against the teen's forehead, checking his temperature. It was still high.

"Did someone cast a spell on him?" Yelan queried, though she doubted that was the case.

"Not that we know of, though this ailment is magical. However, I spoke with my wife, and she said that it was his own blood that was poisoning him."

"Your wife, she is a spirit?" Yelan asked to make sure she remembered correctly.

"Yes."

"I believe I know what is wrong," she informed him with a heavy voice. Her initial doubt about a spell being the cause of the illness dissipated as a memory of dark magic surfaced in her mind. Fujitaka's parental instincts told him that she was struggling with a difficult decision.

"What can I do to help him?"

"There is nothing that you can do, unless you can find the magician that is poisoning him. However, the spell can be cast from long distances and doesn't need to be very specific. It is possible that the culprit isn't even in Japan. I, on the other hand, may be able to help him."

"How?"

"Let me speak with him," she requested. Fujitaka reluctantly handed the phone to the teen that was leaning heavily against him. He could not hear what Yelan was saying and Syaoran responded to her words in Cantonese. Suddenly, his face went from flushed to snow white and his mouth dropped open in shock. He started yelling into the phone. From his limited knowledge of any Chinese language, Fujitaka could only tell that Syaoran was very unhappy with what his mother had just told him.

"What is it?" he questioned the boy, but Syaoran ignored him.

"He is telling her that she can't disown him," Yukito said faintly, though he sounded much like Yue. Of course, the guardian would speak perfect Cantonese.

Fujitaka wrenched the phone away from the still yelling teen and brought it to his own ear. Yukito pulled Syaoran into his own arms and tried to calm him down.

"With all due respect, Li-san, how is disowning your son helping at all? He's making himself sick again! You're his mother, woman!"

Yukito's eyes widened with surprise and he looked up at his best friend's father worriedly. He had just called the head of the Li Clan "woman"?!

"Yes, I am his mother," Yelan hissed. "I am trying to save his life." Fujitaka was taken aback at this. "Disowning him will sever him from the magic of the clan and cut his ties with our bloodline. It should break the spell. When he is well enough to travel, bring him back to Hong Kong. I have no doubts that he will be able to prove himself worthy of rejoining the Clan." Her words were icy… she'd obviously been insulted and she wasn't used to people daring to question her, especially Japanese archeologists, partial reincarnation of Clow Reed or not. She hung up the phone.

Fujitaka handed the phone to Touya to hang up before taking the clearly distraught boy back from Yukito. "Shhh," he soothed. "You will be fine, Syaoran-kun. You'll be fine."

tbc...

Please review to tell me what you think or leave constructive criticism. Hopefully all will feel that the story is starting to move along now.  
- _Firestar_


	4. Chapter 4

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you to my wonderful reviewers. Your comments are much appreciated and encouraging.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Eriol caught himself before he smashed into the tiled wall. He turned immediately to face his attacker again. The older man laughed maliciously. "I get the feeling that you know who exactly is suffering from my ingenious spell," he mocked, rolling the vial between his thumb and forefinger. "Very interesting. Since you know the boy, you should know how much he can handle. Shall I add some more poison?"

"Reverse the spell, right now," Eriol ordered, pointing his staff at the magician. He was loathe to create a magical attack in the public place, but he would not let this man hurt Syaoran anymore.

"To think I would take an order from you, Clow," he sneered. He stopped rolling the vial and held it aloft, preparing to increase the potency of the spell. Eriol prepared to strike. However, before he could complete the incantation that would incapacitate the other, the vial seemed to burst of its own accord. For a heart-stopping moment, Eriol feared it was because the man had pushed too far and killed Syaoran, but the look of surprise on the other's face indicated that he hadn't expected it, either. Somehow, the spell had been broken.

"You were lucky this time, Clow Reed. You won't be, next time." In a burst of light and smoke, he vanished.

Eriol shakily turned his staff back into its key form and exited the bathroom to find Nakuru and Spinel waiting impatiently for him. Nakuru instantly started drilling him on what had happened. Eriol explained the interaction quickly. He was in a hurry now to call Japan to see if everyone was okay. "Nakuru, will you check again for anything going remotely close to Japan? I need to call Sakura."

Using one of his credit cards, Eriol dialed Sakura's cell phone number. She tearfully answered after a few rings.

"Moshi, moshi?"

"Sakura-chan, this is Eriol. Are you alright?"

"Oh, Eriol-kun, it's horrible!" she cried. Eriol could feel himself gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"What happened, Sakura?" He didn't have time for formalities.

"It snowed so much that everything is closed in Tomoeda and Syaoran-kun is really sick. We tried to call Wei-san to ask him what to do, but he didn't answer his phone, so Yue-san went over there and Wei-san was dead! Then Syaoran-kun's mother called and she disowned him from the entire clan because of his illness and I've never seen Syaoran-kun look so miserable or Otou-san so angry!" To Eriol, it sounded like she said all of this in one breath. However, knowing what he did of the Li Clan and magic, he thought he understood why Li Yelan would have disowned her only son and the heir to the entire clan. However, the spell had only just been broken, so it would probably take a few hours before anyone could tell that Syaoran was regaining his strength.

"Are you hale, Sakura-chan?" he asked. If the mad magician could mistakenly attack Syaoran in his place, he wondered if it were possible for him to do the same to Sakura.

"Yes, but I'm so worried about Syaoran-kun!"

"I'm sure he will be okay," Eriol told her.

"I wish you were here, Eriol-kun. We could use the help of Clow Reed."

Eriol bit his lip. There was no way that Sakura could have know that her comment would affect him in such a way, but still, it struck a nerve. Probably because the magician who was trying to kill him was actually after Clow Reed. Eriol didn't want to be Clow Reed, he wanted to be Eriol. So Eriol pulled on one of his serene masks and happily told her, "Actually, I am at the airport right now trying to find a flight, but the Tokyo airport is closed due to the snow. I want to find a flight to get as close as possible and then magically travel the rest of the way."

"I'm so glad to hear that, Eriol-kun. I'm sure you can stay with Tomoyo-chan. I would let you stay here, but Syaoran-kun is, so we don't have any more extra bedrooms." Eriol could hear Tomoyo agreeing in the background.

"That is fine, Sakura-chan, thank you. I need to go now. Hopefully I will see you tomorrow."

* * *

Sakura hung up with Eriol just as her father come into the living room. Touya disappeared into the kitchen to start making an early dinner. Fujitaka looked exhausted. She scooted over so he could sit next to her. "How is Syaoran-kun?" she asked faintly.

"He is sleeping. Yukito-kun is sitting with him for now," her father explained. He could see the fear in his daughter's emerald eyes and he hated it. Especially since it was now reflected in her boyfriend's amber eyes, but for a much different reason. "He is about the same, though he stopped being nauseated."

"Eriol-kun called just now," she informed him. "He is trying to come to Tomoeda. He was already at the airport."

"He was already at the airport?" Tomoyo questioned. "I thought he was coming because you told him Li-kun was ill."

Sakura's eyes widened at Tomoyo's realization. "You're right! I wonder if something strange is going on in England, too."

"Did Hiiragizawa-san say when he would arrive?" Fujitaka asked. It comforted him a little to think that Clow Reed's reincarnation would be joining them, even if the English boy only looked as old as his daughter and her friends. He reminded himself that Eriol was actually the same age that he was. Still, if this snow continued, he wasn't sure where all of these people were going to sleep. Syaoran had effectively taken over Touya's room. Tomoyo could stay with Sakura, but where would the other three boys sleep?

"He hopes that he will be here tomorrow," Sakura replied. "I really hope he does arrive. He said that Syaoran-kun would be fine, but maybe he can do something when he arrives."

"Perhaps," Fujitaka agreed. "Sakura-san, due to everything that has happened these past few days, Syaoran-kun needs to return to Hong Kong. I don't want him to travel so far by himself, and now that he is disowned, he won't be able to stay with his family. I am planning to take him home, myself."

"You're going to Hong Kong?" she repeated. "What about your work?"

"There are plenty of universities in Hong Kong," Fujitaka reminded her. "I can possibly do some research while I am there, so it will be like an academic vacation. The only thing that would prevent me from going is if you or Touya-kun were in danger, Sakura-san."

Sakura wanted to be selfish and keep her father with her, but she knew that Syaoran-kun needed him more. She couldn't image how devastated she would be if her father kicked her out of their little yellow house. She nodded slowly. "I will have onii-chan and Yue-san and Kerberos-san with me. I will be safe, Otou-san."

"I know you will be," Fujitaka told her fondly. He brushed her honey colored hair away from her eyes and smiled warmly at her. "Shall we see what Touya-kun has prepared for dinner?"

"Yeah," Sakura and Tomoyo agreed in unison.

* * *

By the time Eriol arrived in Tomoeda, Syaoran was on his feet again, though still looking rather haggard. Only Touya could sympathize (even though he didn't), having lost his magic before. It seemed to the young Chinese boy that everything took that much more effort without his magic. It really made him not want to do anything but sulk in the corner of the living room. Seeing Eriol again did _not_ improve his mood.

The Tokyo airport was still closed, so the reincarnation of Clow Reed arrived on the back of his guardian, Spinel Sun. They had managed to find a flight to Seoul, South Korea, and from there had magically flown the rest of the way to Sakura's home.

Sakura threw her arms around Eriol's neck and hugged him for all she was worth. Eriol was beginning to suspect that there was a conspiracy to strangle him. Once he had kindly pried her off, he accepted a much more reserved hello from Tomoyo, though it was still evident that she was pleased to see him. Ever protective, Touya didn't seem as excited about their new guest, remembering what he had put Sakura through two years ago. His dismay did nothing to rival Syaoran's, especially after Sakura's over-excited greeting. The Chinese boy glared at him darkly, and still managed to look frightful, despite his pale complexion and glassy eyes.

"Sakura-san, let your guests sit down," Fujitaka reminded her with a laugh. With profuse apologies, Sakura motioned to the empty spaces on the couch. Fujitaka wasn't sure how many more people could fit into their modest home - already guests were having to sit on the floor.

The head of the household served everyone tea. Once Eriol, Nakuru, and Spinel Sun assured everyone who cared that they were rested enough to explain their presence, Eriol began speaking. "We were already planning to come to Tomoeda. Once Sakura-chan told me about Syaoran-kun's strange illness, I knew that my feelings of foreboding were legitimate." He failed to mention that he had met face-to-face the man who'd almost killed his cute little descendent.

"Do you know what caused Syaoran-kun's illness?" Sakura asked. "Li-san thinks it was a spell and she managed to break it."

Eriol looked over at Syaoran, who looked miserable and angry at the same time. Eriol sent a fond smile in his direction, which only darkened the scowl on the younger magician's face. "I believe it was a special and very difficult spell. It was cast by a very powerful magician who is knowledgeable in ancient magic. Somehow, he would have to obtain a few drops of blood from someone, and he could curse the blood so that anyone who carried that blood in their veins would become very ill."

"But Li-san and Syaoran-kun's sisters were not ill," Sakura pointed out.

"It is possible to concentrate the spell on one person by giving it some parameters. For instance, the spell could be cast to only affect males, or people of a certain age. Things like that. In Syaoran-kun's case, it could have been cast to affect a 14 year-old male in his bloodline."

"Hoe! But why attack Syaoran-kun?"

"There is any number of possible reasons." Eriol didn't bother to suggest that the spell had been cast in error, and had actually been intended for someone else… Nakuru was looking at him oddly, wondering why he didn't tell them about the mad magician who was trying to kill him. Wasn't that why they came to Tomoeda in the first place, for Sakura-chan's help?

"Li-san managed to break the spell," Tomoyo reminded Eriol. "How could she have done that?"

"The Li Clan is very old and set in tradition," Eriol explained. "They believe that cutting someone off from the Clan completely removes all of their associations, even blood links. You were disowned, weren't you, Syaoran-kun?"

"I'm going to go lay down again," the boy in question responded. Before anyone could blink, he was gone. They could hear a door slam upstairs.

"Let him be," Fujitaka told Yukito, who started to rise to follow Syaoran. "I will speak with him later."

"So," Eriol continued, "because of the Lis' belief, by disowning her son, Li Yelan was able to sever his blood ties and therefore render the curse useless. As Clan leader, she is the only one who had the authority to do so without a trial with the Clan elders."

"It's not fair," Sakura complained. "Syaoran-kun didn't do anything to deserve being outcast."

"No, but it probably saved his life," Eriol countered. Fujitaka remembered Li Yelan telling him the same thing.

"Do you think that whoever cast the spell will try again?"

Here, Eriol had to be honest, because now more people's lives were at risk. "I think so," he answered. "That's why I came here."

"This is horrible," Tomoyo commented, framing her face with her hands. Her eyes watered at the thought of someone attacking her friend for a reason that no one understood.

"Eriol-san…" Spinel Sun said in a low voice.

"I sense it, too," Kero announced, fluttering up and looking around the room suspiciously.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried, assuming that whatever the guardians sensed was coming to finish off her boyfriend, who no longer even had magic to defend himself with. She grew even more worried when Yue and Ruby Moon assumed their true forms.

Eriol pulled out his key and activated his staff. He then closed his eyes, concentrating on the magical auras that he could sense. They were different from the man at the airport, and there were more than one. "Sakura, where are your cards?"

"Right here!" She had activated her own wand and was standing up, looking around frantically.

"Ooh!" Tomoyo cried out in dismay. Everyone immediately turned to her, looking for what was wrong. "My camcorder isn't done charging!" Most of the people in the room sweat-dropped.

"Kerberos-san, take everyone upstairs and stand guard," Eriol ordered. "Sakura-chan and I will handle this."

"Why does Sakura-chan have to handle it?" Touya demanded unhappily.

"Just go, onii-chan! I will be fine," Sakura promised. Against his will, Touya allowed himself to dragged upstairs with his father and Tomoyo. The Card Mistress and Clow's incarnation headed outside.

From the window in Touya's room, where they found a startled Syaoran, they could see Sakura and Eriol run out into the street where a group of dark figures had gathered in the moonlight. Ruby Moon and Yue hovered above them while Spinel Sun stood protectively next to Eriol. "I should be out there," grumbled Kerberos. "I am a much better fighter than Suppi-kun."

"What's going on?" Syaoran demanded, pushing in so he could see out the window as well.

"Those things are magical," Kerberos explained shortly. Syaoran was once again reminded of his magical loss as he could clearly see the dark figures, but not sense their auras at all. He also could not sense Kerberos' aura, or Fujitaka's.

It was soon obvious that the dark figures were not their allies as they attacked the two magicians without preamble. Syaoran grit his teeth together as he was forced to watch.

Sakura and Eriol were able to hold their own fairly well until an underhanded blow sent them both flying. It seemed like the magical attacks of the two magicians barely slowed their enemies down. Syaoran watched the battle with narrowed eyes. Sakura, while breathing hard after landing on her rump, managed to conk an approaching figure soundly over the head, sending him sprawling. She was immediately struck with another magical blast that made Touya, Fujitaka, and Tomoyo all gasp in anger. At the last second, Sakura had managed to activate the Shield Card and was unharmed. The dark strangers seemed a bit awkward to Syaoran's eyes, with slow reactions unless they were sending magical attacks. The one Sakura had conked was still out cold. This gave Syaoran an idea.

He slipped away from the window and darted from the room, ignoring the shouts from within for him to return. Touya chased him and finally managed to grab the back of Syaoran's shirt as they reached the front porch. "What are you doing, you stupid gaki?" he demanded, trying to drag the boy back into the relative safety of the house.

"Let me go!" Syaoran yelled, struggling to twist out of Touya's grasp.

"Come back inside right now!"

"No!" Syaoran landed a well placed blow on the older boy, which enabled him to escape and dart into the shadows. Extremely annoyed, Touya let him go, hoping he managed to get his foolish self killed.

Sakura and Eriol were outnumbered and their magical attacks did nothing. Even Firey and Windy could do nothing against the dark figures. It was obvious to those watching through the window that the magicians' magic reserves were running low, especially Sakura's.

From the shadows of the bushes, Syaoran waited for his opportunity. He could not sense the auras of the strangers, but they could not sense his either, seeing as he didn't currently have one. Just before one of the figures could fire another spell at Sakura, he leapt from his hiding place and delivered an expert roundhouse kick to the creature's head, instantly knocking him unconscious. His cover was blown, but this didn't bother him. He was able to take down two more before the element of surprise wore off and they started firing magic at him. Like it was part of a deadly dance, Syaoran dodged the bolts of magic and struck whenever he could, using his speed as an advantage over the awkward beings.

Before long, all of the dark figures were down and Syaoran was standing in the middle of the street, breathing loudly and sweating profusely. He clenched his fists to hide his shaking as Sakura and Eriol ran over to him, followed quickly by the outside guardians.

"Syaoran-kun, that was amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, ignoring her bruises and scrapes to hug her boyfriend. Syaoran tried to smile at her, but the world spun wildly around him before going completely black. Sakura barely managed to catch him as he fainted. Tired herself, they both collapsed to the ground.

Eriol glared at the dark figures once he determined that the two were okay, despite their fallen position. He walked over the nearest attacker and tried to remove his mask. As soon as he touched the man, his entire body vanished, as did all the other fallen creatures. Eriol cursed in English. This was becoming infuriatingly frustrating!

"Foolish gaki!" Kerberos complained, dragging the unconscious Syaoran off of Sakura.

"Be nice, Kero!" Sakura scolded tearfully. "He saved us and now he's hurt!"

"He's not hurt," Yue spoke in his usual stoic manner. "He exhausted himself. He is still recovering from his illness." The moon guardian landed next to Syaoran and gently placed his hand on the side of Syaoran's face. A faint glow appeared around his hand until Syaoran's eyes blinked open and he looked up at Yue in confusion.

"What happened?" he questioned, unknowingly in Cantonese.

"Huh?" Sakura questioned. Her father and brother came to her side. Fujitaka checked her quickly for injuries.

"He asked what happened," Kerberos told her. The guardian changed back into his disguise and fluttered around Syaoran's head. "You are a moron, kozo! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"They weren't attacking them right. They were weak physically because they put all their effort into their magic," Syaoran snapped. "I'm the only one who knows how to fight." He suddenly found himself hauled to his feet by strong grips on his upper arms.

"You are lucky you're not my son, or I'd smack you for scaring me like that!" Fujitaka reproached, giving the Chinese boy a stiff shake for good measure. Syaoran stared up at him with huge eyes. Fujitaka released one of his arms, but held onto the other so he could propel Syaoran towards the house. "Everyone, let's return inside," he called over his shoulder.

"We better do what he says," Sakura mumbled, upset at seeing her father so angry. She never wanted to beloved father to be anything but happy. The group filed demurely back into the modest yellow house.

tbc...

Please let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you AngelEmCutie and Incomplete13 for reviewing chapter four.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The Tokyo airport was even more crowded than Heathrow had been. Thanks to some of Li Yelan's connections, Syaoran and Fujitaka were able to secure seats on the first flight to Hong Kong. They were only able to get two seats, so the rest of the group had to wait behind until they could all fly together. Eriol personally wanted to go to Hong Kong to look through the magical books Clow had left with the Chinese half of his family. He was hoping that an old journal would mention who this mad magician was and maybe why he was trying to kill Eriol.

Sakura and Tomoyo wanted to attend Wei's funeral, since they had known the older man and were fond of him. He had always had good advice and was very accommodating to Syaoran's friends. Touya and Yukito wanted to protect the younger teenagers.

So Fujitaka sat stiffly in his aisle seat, only assured by the knowledge that Touya would call him as soon as they managed to buy plane tickets to Hong Kong as well. He worried about his daughter, but he knew that Sakura was magically powerful. Those strange dark figures hadn't returned either, since that night.

Next to him, Syaoran stared glumly out the window, chewing on his lower lip. Instead of being angry at Sakura's father for yelling at him that night, Syaoran had been strangely grateful. He desperately wished that he had a father of his own, and it felt good to have someone worry about him. Still, he was worried that Fujitaka was still angry with him, so he decided to keep a low profile. He didn't want to give the man any more reason to be unhappy with him. Unfortunately, Fujitaka misinterpreted Syaoran's quietness as resentment or fear.

"Syaoran-kun," Fujitaka said at the end of their first half-hour in flight. The trip was painfully quiet and the older man didn't want their tension to continue. It was a five hour flight to Hong Kong.

"Yes?" Syaoran acknowledged softly, looking worriedly up at the older man. Fujitaka sighed.

"Thank you for helping Sakura-san that night."

"You're welcome," Syaoran replied. He dropped his gazes to his hands, which rested in his lap.

"I am sorry for yelling at you. I was very worried."

"Thank you for caring," Syaoran mumbled. He could feel his face heating up and he desperately wanted to run, like he usually did when faced with his feelings. On the crowded 747, there was no place to go.

Fujitaka was surprised at his answer and suddenly a realization dawned on him. Perhaps Syaoran wasn't angry with him, but scared about going back to Hong Kong. Neither of them knew what would happen once they reached China. Would Li Yelan be cold to the child she had disowned? Would his sisters even continue to acknowledge him?

Fujitaka reached over and ruffled Syaoran's already messy hair. "Of course I care. As half of Clow Reed's reincarnation, you are my cute little descendent, too." Syaoran sweat-dropped.

"Not you, too!" Fujitaka chuckled. Then, his expression became serious again. "Are you frightened of going back to Hong Kong?"

"No." Syaoran answered quickly, his face darkening. "I don't care what they say or do." Fujitaka could tell that he was lying, but he didn't mind this once, since he also knew that Syaoran was lying to himself, as well. Instead of saying anything, Fujitaka wrapped his arm around Syaoran's shoulders and hugged the younger male. Syaoran leaned against him gratefully and after a while, due to Fujitaka gently rubbing his back, Syaoran was able to sleep. He didn't wake up again until the plane began its descent into Hong Kong.

* * *

In the Hong Kong airport, Fujitaka made sure to keep a strong hold on Syaoran. He didn't want the bustling crowd to separate them, since he needed the boy to communicate for them. Fujitaka spoke enough Cantonese to survive, but it would be much easier with Syaoran communicating fluently. They managed to retrieve their checked luggage and find a taxi. No one from the Li Clan would be meeting them at the airport. Syaoran couldn't help but look to see if one of his older sisters was waiting excitedly for him. He was disappointed.

The more time spent in the city of his youth, the more introverted Syaoran became. By the time they reached their hotel, Fujitaka could barely get the boy to respond to him. Syaoran robotically spoke to the taxi driver and paid him what they owed. He silently helped Fujitaka carry their baggage to the check-in desk.

There was a problem with their reservation. The wrong room had been booked, and now all of the rooms were full. After calling a few other nearby hotels, they found that there were no vacancies anywhere. Fujitaka sighed and tried to think positively. In his halted Cantonese, he told the receptionist that they would take the room they had been booked to.

The room was nice, clean, and large, but there was only a king size bed in the middle of the far wall. "I will sleep on the floor," Syaoran offered mechanically, his voice sounding rough.

"No," Fujitaka argued. "You need the bed. You are still recovering. Besides, the bed is large. We can share."

"But Kinomoto-san! You deserve the bed to yourself. I'm just a worthless-"

"Nope," Fujitaka interrupted. "You do what I say. Sleep on the bed and do not speak about yourself that way." Syaoran sighed in irritation and tossed his jacket onto the bed. "You should take a shower," Fujitaka suggested. Syaoran mindlessly disappeared into the bathroom after finding a clean change of clothes. As soon as Fujitaka heard the water running, he picked up the phone and dialed the number that Li Yelan had given him to reach her on. She answered on the fourth ring.

"You arrived safely?" she asked succinctly.

"Yes," he replied, just as shortly.

"How is he?"

"He doesn't want to be here," Fujitaka said honestly. Li Yelan sighed sadly.

"It will be alright. I will call you when I know more," she said and hung up. Fujitaka replaced the phone in its cradle. Needing a distraction, he turned on the TV and found a channel that was originally from Japan. He settled in to watch as he waited for his turn in the shower.

Syaoran was quick. He emerged a few minutes later with his hair dripping. He had changed into shorts and a thin hooded sweatshirt for sleeping, clearly stating his intention to not go anywhere else that night. Fujitaka silently agreed. He wanted to relax as well. They could order room service after his shower.

When he emerged from the shower, Fujitaka caught Syaoran trying to wipe away streaks of salty wetness from his cheeks and hide his pink nose. Deciding to pretend to not notice, Fujitaka pulled out the room service menu and picked out a few things that looked good. He had Syaoran call for the food to give the boy something to do as a distraction. It arrived shortly and they ate, though Syaoran only picked at his food.

Though it was only early evening, Fujitaka made himself comfortable in the bed and held out his arms to the skinny Chinese boy. Syaoran curled up next to him, head tucked under Fujitaka's chin, and they watched TV until they both fell asleep. Neither awoke again until three o'clock in the morning, when Fujitaka was awoken by a strange sensation that pulled him towards the door of their room. He slipped out of the bed and made sure that Syaoran was securely tucked into the bed before walking warily to the door. He peered through the peephole to see a severe, yet beautiful Chinese woman standing on the other side. He could sense her powerful aura and knew that she was Li Yelan, despite never having met her before.

"Hello, Li-san," he greeted in a mix of Cantonese and Japanese honorifics, once he had opened the door.

"Greetings, Kinomoto-san," she answered in Japanese. "I want to see him."

"He is sleeping," Fujitaka informed her.

"It is for the best. I should not be here - it is against Clan laws, but I must see my son. It is better that he does not see me."

"Okay," Fujitaka agreed. He would not want to be kept from Touya or Sakura, either. He opened the door further to invite the sorceress into the room. She determinedly made her way to the side of the bed that Syaoran was on and leaned down so she could see him more clearly in the dark.

"My beautiful little boy," she murmured in Cantonese, so quietly that Fujitaka couldn't make out her words, even if he'd understood them. Carefully, she moved a few locks of brown hair away from his peaceful face before leaning down to press her lips against his temple. "All will be well, Xiaolang. No one will take you from me." She stood up quickly and moved away from the bed. "I will contact you as soon as possible, Kinomoto-san," she stated, switching back to Japanese. "Tomorrow, take him sight-seeing. He can show you the city."

"I will," Fujitaka agreed. "I will take care of him, Li-san."

"Thank you." She left without another word, closing the door softly behind herself. Fujitaka returned to the bed. He was unable to sleep, so instead he watched Syaoran sleep, imaging how he would act if it was Sakura that he was forcefully separated from. It nearly made his own eyes water.

Fujitaka did eventually fall asleep. When he awoke a few hours later, he could tell that Syaoran was already awake, but the boy lay quietly under his heavy arm, amber eyes looking towards the partially open curtains. "How long have you been awake?" Fujitaka asked sleepily as he rolled onto his back. He reached for his glasses on the nightstand.

"A few minutes," Syaoran answered quietly. He slipped out of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Fujitaka sighed before getting up as well and straightening the covers on the bed. He found a change of clothes for when he could use the bathroom next. While he waited, he called his colleague at Hong Kong University to see if he was available to meet that afternoon. He wasn't sure if Syaoran would truly feel like wandering around Hong Kong all day while they waited for a call from his mother.

Syaoran exited the bathroom eventually so Fujitaka could get ready for the day. When the older man emerged from the small room again, Syaoran was completely ready to go, except for his shoes which waited neatly near the door. Fujitaka gathered what he would need for his meeting and placed it in his briefcase. "I spoke with my colleague from Hong Kong University. He said that he would be available to meet with me at 11 o'clock. We should eat, beforehand."

"All right," Syaoran agreed faintly.

"Come here," Fujitaka said, pulling the boy into a warm hug. "Everything will be alright, Syaoran-kun."

"It won't be alright," Syaoran countered, pressing his forehead against Fujitaka's chest. "Everything is gone. It's so quiet all of the time, and so cold… and Wei-san is gone…"

Fujitaka understood a little what he meant. After gaining the magic from he realized that there was much more in the world than he'd originally been aware of. The magic moved throughout space in currents, to be drawn upon as needed by those who could control it. It was almost comforting, and he wouldn't want to lose it. He also sympathized with Syaoran's mourning for his guardian in Japan.

"Shh," Fujitaka murmured. "You will be able to rejoin your clan and fulfill the destiny you were born for." _With_ _Sakura-san_, he added silently. Syaoran wanted to believe him, so he held onto the older man, seeking comfort where it was given. When Fujitaka felt that Syaoran had had the opportunity to regain his composure, he pulled away and tipped the boy's chin up so he could see the boy's face. His cheeks were dry, even though his eyes were watery. "I'm sure you still know your way around this city. I am quite hungry, and I don't think room service sounds good again for breakfast. Will you take me to a good restaurant?"

"Okay," Syaoran nodded. In an effort to be more sociable, something that Sakura constantly pestered him about, he added, "There is a place not far from here which makes good pancakes."

"That sounds fine." After putting on their shoes, the two left the hotel room and arrived shortly at the restaurant that Syaoran had in mind. They were seated quickly by a cheerful young waitress who batted her lashes coyly at Fujitaka. Syaoran barely refrained from rolling his eyes. What would she think if she knew Kinomoto-san had a son about her age?

Fujitaka didn't know many Chinese food words, so he decided to simply have whatever the teen across from him ordered. The waitress brought their food promptly and Fujitaka agreed that the pancakes were good. Unfortunately, his enjoyment of the breakfast was somewhat disturbed by the curious stares their table was receiving from their fellow diners. It was quite obvious that Syaoran was not his son. What he didn't realize is that most of the people recognized Li Xiaolang.

Syaoran was either very good at ignoring the looks or oblivious to them as he ate his meal in silence, never looking up from his plate. When they finished, Fujitaka paid for the meal and they departed, Syaoran leading the way to the University.

They were walking down a sunny street when two teenagers, probably in their last year of high school, approached them. Fujitaka had no idea who they were but he didn't miss Syaoran's slight change in posture as the two came closer. The Li heir grabbed Fujitaka's shirt sleeve and pulled him more quickly down the road, looking as if he was ready to run. However, their hasty retreat didn't dissuade the youths from catching up to them and falling into step.

"Look who it is… little Lord Li," one of them taunted. Fujitaka couldn't understand the words, but he knew the tone.

"You dare to show your face in Hong Kong after your mother of all people disowned you from the Clan?"

Syaoran ignored them and kept his head down so they couldn't see the red in his cheeks. He tried to walk a little faster, but it was no trouble for the boys with longer strides to keep up with him.

"I hear that once you're disowned, you lose all your magic, too. Is that right, ex-Lord Li?"

"Where is your sword, oh fallen one?" The last boy who spoke grabbed Syaoran's arm and jerked him around. The smaller teen tried to wrench out of his hold, but was unable to break his grasp.

"Hey!" Fujitaka yelled, not caring if they didn't understand his Japanese. His meaning was clear enough when he tried to pull Syaoran away from them.

"Get lost, Jap. We'll deal with our pretty little cousin," the second boy sneered, shoving Fujitaka away. He stumbled and barely caught himself against the side of a building. The teen that held onto Syaoran dug his hand into Syaoran's jean pocket and pulled out a handful of ofuda papers. Despite not being able to use them, Syaoran had kept them with him out of habit and a sense of familiarity. He could hardly remember the time before he started carrying the enchanted papers with him.

"Don't!" Syaoran yelled as his tormentor tossed the papers into the sky and a gust of wind sent them scattering.

"It's not like you need them anymore, Li," the teen taunted. His unbreakable grasp on Syaoran's upper arm didn't fail as he grabbed for the talisman that Syaoran was currently wearing like a necklace under his shirt. The leather throng snapped, but Syaoran wasn't going to let that be stolen from him so easily. He grabbed what he could with his free hand and refused to let go.

"Let go, Chang!" Syaoran ordered. He knew that without his magic and at a disadvantage physically, only his training in martial arts could help him. It was heavily frowned upon to attack one's own clan member, but Chang had attacked him first, and he was still Li Yelan's son, disowned or not.

A roundhouse kick to the face finally unlocked the hold that the older boy had on his arm and set Chang skidding across the pavement a few feet. Syaoran kept the talisman. Before either Syaoran or Fujitaka could react, the second boy had grabbed Syaoran by the front of his shirt and lifted him at least a foot off the ground.

"You'll pay for that, runt!" A solid punch sent the smaller boy flying through the air to land in a pile of trash cans and overflowing garbage bags. "Right where you belong, in the trash!"

Fujitaka was furious. He couldn't believe the audacity of these young men attacking them in the open street. A few police officers were running their way, but they were effectively stopped by a weak spell from the first boy, Chang, which sent them stumbling over their own feet. Fujitaka wasn't sure what he could do with the magic given to him by Eriol, but he figured that whatever happened would be better than his young charge being mauled by the bullies. He tried to focus on channeling his magic energy toward the boy who was preparing to empty one of the few trash cans not knocked over by Syaoran's landing over the smaller teen's head. He was distracted by the sound of rapid footsteps and the appearance of a very attractive Chinese girl with reddish brown hair.

She shouted a command and the tin can that the bully was about to drop over his cousin shifted, emptying its contents on him, instead. Syaoran was magically lifted from the mess and the tumbled cans righted themselves while the scattered debris returned to its pile.

"Li Fuutie!" the boy named Chang cried out in fear. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted away. His garbage covered friend followed him at a slightly slower pace. Seeing that they were gone, the Chinese girl hurried to Syaoran's side, as did Fujitaka.

"Oh, Xiaolang," she cooed, hugging him tightly to her bosom as she kneeled next to him.

"Excuse me, miss, but who are you?" Fujitaka asked in halting Chinese, placing one hand worriedly on the back of Syaoran's head.

"I am Li Fuutie, oldest daughter of Li Yelan," she answered quietly in perfect Japanese, never taking her eyes off of her little brother's dark hair. "You must be Kinomoto Fujitaka, the father of the Card Mistress."

"Yes, I am," he admitted.

"Fuutie, why are you here?" Syaoran asked, shifting so he could see his sister's worried face. "You're not supposed to associate with me anymore."

"To hell with that rule," she said flippantly. "You're my little wolf and no idiot cousin of ours is going to pick on you because of a simple misunderstanding. Besides, if mother already broke the rule, why shouldn't I?"

"But I haven't seen mother," Syaoran argued. He tried to move over a few inches to give himself breathing room, but placing weight on his left wrist caused a grimace to flash across his face.

"She has seen you," Fuutie replied cryptically. "Let me see your hand."

"I'm fine," Syaoran denied her, clutching his wrist to his chest protectively. She gave him a Look, which he resisted for all of two seconds before sighing and letting her inspect his injury.

"You said that those boys are your cousins?" Fujitaka asked curiously.

"Yes, some of our practically non-magical relations," Fuutie explained. "They've always been jealous of Xiaolang, or any member of our family, but they couldn't touch him before. One, he is heir to the Head of the Clan, and two, he could magically defend himself against pretty much anyone except our mother and a few of the elders. They wouldn't miss their chance to pick on someone who is now weaker than they are." She sent a glare in the direction that the two had run off in.

"Fuutie, you should go," Syaoran told her. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"You are no trouble, little brother. I do need to leave, though. Mother will not be happy to hear of this. Take care of yourself."

"I will."

"Thank you for keeping him right now," she said to Fujitaka. The professor nodded in acknowledgement of her gratitude. To her brother, she said, "Everything will be fine, Xiaolang. First, however, you need a bath!"

"Shut up," he scowled with red cheeks.

"Good-bye." Despite his recent fall into the trash pile, Fuutie cupped his face in her hands and pressed a loving kiss to his forehead. Before pulling completely away from him, she made a large sweeping gesture over him with her hand, restoring him to the state he had been in before meeting his cousins. She then stood and disappeared into the crowd.

"Come on, Syao-kun," Fujitaka spoke, sounding a bit fatigued. He pulled the boy to his feet and hugged him. "Your sister took care of the mess. If you feel up to it, we can continue to the University, or return to the hotel."

"We can go to the school," Syaoran decided as he stepped away from Sakura's father. He still held his left wrist protectively, but his amber eyes scanned the area warily for more who would take advantage of his loss of power. A few feet away, he glimpsed one of his trampled ofuda papers. Carefully, he bent down to pick it up. He stared at it for a moment and then slid it back into his pocket. He would save this one especially for dealing with his cousins after he was reinstated into the Clan.

"Fine," Fujitaka agreed. He draped his arm over Syaoran's shoulders and they continued on their way towards the school. After about five minutes of silence, Syaoran spoke.

"Kinomoto-san? Did you notice my mother's aura since we've been here? Fuutie said that mother has seen me since we've been here."

Fujitaka decided that honesty was the best policy. He'd want Sakura to know that he'd visited her, even if she'd slept through all of it. "She was at the hotel room last night, around three. She did not want to wake you, but she was very concerned to see your well-being for herself."

"Oh," Syaoran mumbled, staring at the ground. "I thought I dreamed it."

"You felt her presence?"

"I guess so," Syaoran shrugged. "I wish she would have woken me."

"I know, but she is trying to make this as easy for you as possible," Fujitaka explained. "It will not be long until you are able to meet her again." Syaoran didn't say anything, but he seemed a little less dejected.

tbc...

This chapter doesn't have as much action as others, but still please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome.


	6. Chapter 6

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please let me know what you think at the end of this chapter, as well.

**CHAPTER SIX**

"Perhaps all of this is over now," Nakuru said hopefully in English as she sorted through the racks of clothing in one of Tomoyo's closets. Nothing inside would fit her as she was significantly taller than the young girl, but if she found anything she liked, she'd ask Tomoyo to make a larger version. At least, the idea of making new clothes seemed to distract the dark haired beauty a little from the group's current problems.

"Why do you say that?" Spinel Sun questioned as he hovered at her shoulder.

"We've been in Japan for three days now, and have seen neither hide nor hair of that madman."

"He could be shielding his aura and biding his time," Spinel Sun pointed out.

"Or maybe he is still stuck in England."

"You shouldn't let your guard down."

"Of course not," Nakuru replied, shooting an annoyed look at her co-guardian. "I'm never letting anything happen to Eriol again."

"But if you think he's still in England…"

"I don't! Ugh, Suppi, you can be so annoying, sometimes." Spinel Sun sweat-dropped. She was one to talk about being annoying!

"And then there were those strange figures outside of the Kinomoto house…"

"Are you two fighting again?" asked their master. He peaked around the doorframe into the spacious closet. His home in England was large, but this closet still dwarfed some of his rooms.

"No," Nakuru grinned as Spinel Sun answered, "Yes."

"I see. Well, Sakura just called Tomoyo. It seems that Touya managed to find seats for all of us on an early flight to Hong Kong tomorrow, so we need to get ready," Eriol explained.

"We don't even have any luggage," Nakuru reminded him sadly. She thought of all her cute clothes left back in the English manor. Each had only brought what clothing could fit in their carry-on.

"We'll have to buy some more clothes when we get to Hong Kong," Eriol told her. Her reaction was predictable. She threw her arms around Eriol's neck and squealed in delight.

"I love to go shopping in Hong Kong!"

"You've never been to Hong Kong," Spinel Sun argued.

"Hmph. Well, I am sure that it will be wonderful." She released Eriol who had to fix his skewed glasses. The temporary frames didn't fit him as well as his old pair had, but during their escape from England, he hadn't had time to buy new ones. His effort was in vain, however, as Nakuru reached over and snatched them right off of his face. She dropped a quick kiss on his forehead. "You should go to bed, Eriol, dear."

"Okay," he agreed. "Please do not destroy Tomoyo's closet." He took his glasses back from Nakuru and left them, heading to the guest room that Tomoyo had had prepared for him when they were able to return to her house.

"You treat him like a child!" Spinel Sun scolded when Eriol was out of hearing range. "He might be in a kid's body, but Eriol is a fully grown man."

"Clow Reed is grown up," Nakuru argued. "Eriol is still young. Besides, he has a lot on his mind, so it's probably a relief not to have to worry about the little things. He's so lonely… he needs friends, not just guardians."

Spinel Sun couldn't say anything to that, since he agreed. Instead, he changed the subject. "Make sure to turn the light off when you leave."

"Now who's treating someone like a child?" Nakuru demanded in irritation. She scowled and shoved the clothes that she had been looking at back on the rack. She had just exited the closet and flipped down the light switch when her senses picked up on something strange. Instantly, she switched to her true form, Ruby Moon. She didn't know what it was yet, but she wasn't going to wait until it attacked Eriol to find out.

Eriol was fine if not a little perplexed at having his guardian storm into his room unexpectedly in her true form. He had just changed into his sleep attire and was preparing to climb into the comfortable bed. However, at Ruby Moon's brief explanation, he paused to focus on feeling for any anomaly himself. He thought that he could sense something, but it was faint. He moved to the window so he could see into the yard. However, the glass shattered before he could take more than two steps. His guardian reacted immediately. Ruby Moon grabbed her master and created a shield to protect them from the flying glass. When the sound of twinkling glass ceased, she opened her ruby colored eyes to find herself and Eriol surrounded by the same dark figures as before. With a cry of anger, she took flight, soaring through the shattered window and into the clear sky above.

"We can't just leave them there," Eriol shouted, looking back into the house. He had his arms around Ruby Moon's neck as hers circled his waist, holding him up. "They'll attack Tomoyo and her household!" He really much rather preferred riding on Spinel Sun's back than being carried by Ruby Moon when the necessity of sudden flight came up, and it didn't help that he didn't have his glasses. Or…

"My key!"

"Hold still! You're not exactly light, you know," Ruby Moon snapped as she tried to maintain her grip on the squirming teenager.

"I have to get the key," Eriol insisted.

"It won't do you any good if you make me drop you!" She tightened her grip once more before flying closer to the window. She barely dodged an attack from one of the dark figures.

"Just help me get back into the room."

"In case you haven't noticed, there are a bunch of nutty magicians standing in that room, firing spells at us!" She swooped to the right to avoid another such spell before sending deadly gems back at them.

"I did notice." Eriol was getting frustrated and he couldn't stop himself from the sarcastic words. Fortunately, Ruby Moon didn't seem to be offended. After dodging one more attack, she was able to fly close enough to the window to deposit her charge inside. Eriol landed heavily on one of the figures, knocking it unconscious. He scrambled to his feet and darted across the room to where he had left his jeans. The key was still in the pocket.

A hole appeared in the wall right above his head as he struggled to find the right pocket while his eyesight was so poor. He reacted instinctively and covered his head with his arms. He could feel his magic power fluctuate as violet fire answered the spell, complements of his other guardian. The panther hissed, his back arched menacingly. The fire was ineffective.

Eriol's shaking fingers finally closed around the key and he pulled it out of the denim garment. He could feel Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun both attacking the figures as he chanted the words that would release his wand. His magical circle formed below him and the key transformed into a large staff, topped with a sun-shaped emblem. "Bind!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the figures. To his great relief, the figures all froze.

He walked up to the nearest one and demanded, "Who sent you?" The figure refused to answer. "Who sent you?" Eriol repeated. He reached up to pull off the man's mask. However, as soon as his hand made contact, the figure dissolved into nothing and was gone. All of his companions did the same, leaving only Ruby Moon, Spinel Sun, and Eriol in the destroyed room.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Eriol cursed in his native language of English. "Why do they disappear every time I touch one of them? Wait-"

"Are you all alright?" Tomoyo cried as she ran into the room, having heard the commotion but being kept away by her bodyguards.

"Yes," Eriol answered, quickly locating his glasses and putting them on. "It was those dark figures again."

"Oh no! How did they get inside?"

"They appeared. They must be powerful enough to transport themselves, though it's very risky if you don't know exactly where you're transporting to," Eriol explained. He let his staff return to its key form and placed it on the bedside table next to the phone.

"We should call Sakura-chan! What if they attacked her, too?" Tomoyo dashed to the phone and quickly dialed the Kinomoto house's number from memory. Sakura answered. "Sakura-chan! Eriol-kun was just attacked by those creepy men again. Are you okay?" She paused while Sakura replied. "Oh, I'm so glad, even though I know you would have been able to defeat them all!" Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun exchanged looks as Tomoyo's eyes went starry. The three travelers from England could imagine Sakura's red cheeks and dot eyes.

"Hey, Tomoyo-chan, ask Eriol-kun if he noticed anything strange about those men," Sakura requested once she was over her embarrassment. Tomoyo relayed the question to Eriol.

"Yes," he answered. "Whenever I touch one of them, they disappear." Tomoyo dutifully repeated what he said into the speaker of the phone.

"No, that's not it," Sakura murmured quietly. "I thought… no, it couldn't be. I think I am just confused." Tomoyo shrugged to Eriol before replying.

"I'm sure you will think of it, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo hung up the phone after another minute and turned to face her guests. "Sakura-chan says that everything has been quiet at her house. Do you think that they will go there next?"

"No," Eriol replied tiredly. "I think she is safe tonight."

"How can you be sure?"

"They're not after her," Eriol finally admitted.

"But they attacked her house a few nights ago."

"Because _I_ was there." Eriol moved around the bed and scooped up his jeans and sweater. He pulled the sweater over his head, once again dislodging his glasses. He then pulled on his jeans over his sleep pants, not wanting to change in front to Tomoyo but knowing that he needed to leave quickly and she wouldn't simply let him go in peace.

"What are you doing?" Ruby Moon questioned.

"We can't stay here," Eriol told her. "I can't let Tomoyo-chan be in danger."

"Wait! This is one of the safest places in Tomoeda," the Japanese girl in question argued. She grabbed Eriol's arm. "I want you to stay here. I don't want those creepy people to attack you, either."

"Tomoyo-chan, it's not safe," Eriol argued as he gently tried to pry her fingers away. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."

"Then why did you come back to Tomoeda, Eriol-kun?" she asked sharply. Eriol had never seen the perpetually optimistic Tomoyo look so dangerous. He swallowed thickly as her face came in close to his. He could practically see fire burning in her eyes. "You came for Sakura-chan's help, even knowing that it would put her in harm's way. And now that she is in danger, you want to pull out and leave us here."

"That is not what I am doing!" Eriol squeaked and mentally cursed his changing voice. He overcome his initial surprise at her anger. "You don't know…"

"I do know!" she insisted. "You came here for a reason, and now all of us are involved. Do you think that those magicians will forget that Sakura-chan helped you two nights ago at _her_ house? If they really are after you, don't you think that they will try to get at you in any way possible, including targeting your friends?"

"Then let me go so I can draw them away," Eriol countered. He didn't like how easily Tomoyo was figuring things out and how out of control he felt.

"No. Not until you answer my questions."

"We don't have time for an interrogation," Eriol informed her.

"Sit," Tomoyo ordered, pointing the bed. Her tone was such that the reincarnated magician did as he was told, immediately, before his mind even had a chance to process what his body was doing. "Why did you come to Tomoeda?"

"Because Sakura-chan told me that she needed my help."

"You were already at the airport when you called her," Tomoyo reminded him. "You were already on your way here." His mouth dropped open when he realized his blunder. Of course, someone as acute as Tomoyo would have noticed that small detail and seen the suspicion in it. "Why did you come to Tomoeda?" she repeated.

"In case Sakura-chan needs my help," he replied, changing his reason slightly.

"She didn't need it until you showed up," she pointed out. "Why did you come to Tomoeda?" At his wit's end, Eriol decided to be honest.

"Because I was scared! This is the only place I could think of where I knew people with magic."

"Scared of what, Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo asked, her voice becoming more soothing now that she had gotten what she wanted out of him.

"Who," Eriol said with a sigh.

"Who?"

"I don't know who he is," Eriol admitted. "He knew Clow Reed in the past, I think. They weren't friends. So, he's trying to kill Clow in revenge for something that happened between them. He's been out of the loop for a while, so he doesn't know about the new Card Mistress or that Clow has an extended family now. He doesn't even know that Clow reincarnated himself into two different people, not just one."

"Wait a minute," Tomoyo said, looking up at the ceiling for a moment as she pondered what he had just told her. "You said he's trying to kill Clow? He thinks that you're Clow Reed?" Eriol shrugged dejectedly. "But you're not." He looked up at her, startled, before jumping up and wrapping her in a huge hug. Finally, someone who didn't automatically equate Hiiragizawa Eriol with Clow Reed! It was Tomoyo's turn to be shocked at the show of affection from the typically calm magician. Still, she was known for her advanced maturity as well, so she hugged him back.

They broke apart after a few seconds. "So, this stranger is trying to… to hurt you," she surmised, unable to think of anyone trying to purposely kill one of her friends. "He attacked you in England, didn't he, so you came here, for Sakura-chan's help."

"Initially yes, but when I heard about Syaoran-kun, I knew that you guys might need my help just as much as I need hers."

"You knew about Li-kun before you called Sakura-chan, didn't you?" Tomoyo asked calmly. "That's why you asked Sakura-chan if she was all right, instead of how she was doing." Eriol nodded in confirmation. "Was it the same person?"

"Yes. It was a mistake. He thought he had cast the spell on me, but I'm not a blood relation to Clow Reed."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Tomoyo cried, hugging her friend again. "I can't imagine how I would feel if I knew that someone had accidently hurt Sakura-chan while trying to hurt me."

"So now you see why I have to leave. I don't want Sakura-chan to accidently be hurt on my account."

"No, that is why you can't leave. A madman is trying to kill you, Eriol-kun, because he thinks you're Clow Reed. If he is powerful enough to scare you, of all people, then you need Sakura-chan's help. If there is anyone in the world who can save you, it is Sakura-chan!"

Eriol hoped that her idol worship was not misplaced.

* * *

Fujitaka sighed as he cupped Syaoran's face with one hand while he used the other to press a bag of ice to the boy's swollen cheekbone. Syaoran winced slightly at the pain, but it was minor compared to his wrist. It wasn't the first time he'd received a point-blank punch, but usually his aggressor managed to avoid his face.

They were in a men's room at Hong Kong University where Fujitaka had just ended a meeting with one of his colleagues, Yi Liang, who was researching the same time period as him. He'd come out of the office to find Syaoran where he'd left him with a pile of archeological magazines. What was new was the black and blue coloring of his left cheek. Fortunately, he'd managed to find a bag of ice without having to explain how his charge had ended up in such a state.

"How was your meeting?" Syaoran asked curiously, reaching up his own hand to support the ice. Fujitaka dropped his hands and forced himself to smile.

"It went well. Yi-sensei has many very interesting theories. Strangely enough, some of them have to do with magic."

"That's very common here," Syaoran said. "Scholars are always bothering my family for information on magic." He swung his legs back and forth as he leaned against the mirror behind him tiredly. Fujitaka had lifted him up to sit on the counter so he could reach the boy's face more easily.

"Hmm," Fujitaka hummed, failing to mention how excited his colleague had been that _Li Syaoran_ was waiting just across the hall. Fujitaka had had to do his best fast-talking ever to keep the man on topic and away from the kid. "Are you sleepy again?" Syaoran shrugged.

The door to the bathroom opened, revealing the form of Fujitaka's colleague, Yi Liang. The Chinese professor paused in surprise, but he quickly smiled when he saw who Fujitaka was discretely trying to hide behind himself.

"Li Xiaolang," Yi greeted warmly. "I am pleased to finally meet you."

"Thank you," Syaoran replied hesitantly. He slowly lowered the ice pack away from his face and set it on the counter next to himself.

"What happened?" Yi questioned, clearly referring to Syaoran's rather obvious bruise.

"A-a training accident y-yesterday," the boy lied nervously. Yi didn't seem to notice. "Mr. Kinomoto was kind enough to find more ice for me."

"Yes, that was kind. Would you mind answering a few questions for me?" In his excitement at finally meeting a member of the Li family, Yi didn't waste any time with small talk.

"I am very tired, sir," Syaoran replied, which was much closer to the truth than his last statement.

"We were just about to return to the hotel," Fujitaka added.

"Then at least let me show you this, before you go. Mr. Li might find it interesting." Yi pulled a slip of dark blue paper out of his pocket and held it up for Syaoran and Fujitaka to see. Syaoran's mouth dropped open when he saw it. "Do you recognize the shape?" Yi asked upon seeing the boy's reaction.

"It's Clow Reed's magic circle," Syaoran answered.

"I thought a member of the Li Clan might know it. It was found during an archeological dig in Northern China a few years past. It was quite the tragic dig. You may have heard about it, Mr. Kinomoto."

"Yes. All of the crew disappeared after the tomb was opened," Fujitaka said sadly.

"All but one, and the one who didn't vanish was holding this at the time. They say that the site was a burial ground for a very powerful magician who lived at the same time as Clow Reed. Legend has it that the man was buried alive for his evil use of magic. How interesting to find a clear indication that Clow Reed was involved in his demise."

"Clow Reed wouldn't bury someone alive," Syaoran argued defensively for his ancestor's honor.

"That's just what people say," Yi replied with a shrug. "Would you like to see the paper?" Syaoran nodded, so Yi handed the slip of dark blue to Fujitaka, who passed it to Syaoran. As soon as the boy's fingers closed around it, his vision wavered and the bathroom appeared to spin around him. Within seconds, he had slumped forward, unconscious.

"What happened?" Fujitaka demanded once he had caught the young magician.

"He's fine," Yi informed him. Fujitaka didn't like the glint in his eyes. It was as if Yi expected something fantastic to happen at any moment, instead of caring that whatever was happening was causing Syaoran to stay unconscious. Fujitaka could feel the magic currents swirling around the boy, but nothing he did seemed to revive him.

"What was that paper? Why is it affecting him as such?"

"It is a memory card," Yi explained excitedly. "A memory cannot simply be erased, you know. Either someone else takes the memory, or it has to be transferred to something. In this case, the memory was transferred to the card. Only the person who created the card can access the memory later, or if that person has died, someone from his family with the potential of great magical power could access it. I guessed that if anyone could open a memory of Clow Reed, it would be the heir to the Li Clan, and I was right!"

"That still doesn't explain why he fainted," Fujitaka pointed out in frustration.

"He's seeing the memory," Yi assured him. "He should be fine in a minute or two."

True to Yi's words, the slip of paper slid from Syaoran's limp fingers a minute later, but he remained asleep. Unable to wake him, Fujitaka took the boy into his arms.

"You can't traipse all the way back to the other side of Hong Kong with an unconscious Li in your arms, Mr. Kinomoto. Please, come to my house for dinner, and I will tell you more of what I know. I also have a personal car."

"I am grateful for your offer, Dr. Yi, but I really should return to the hotel. Li Yelan will be wanting her son back. Perhaps if your schedule allows, we could meet again?"

"Of course, I understand. Please, though, accept my offer of a ride." Yi bent down to pick up the slip of paper and pocketed it while looking at Fujitaka imploringly.

Uncomfortably, Fujitaka agreed, only to see that Syaoran was able to return safely to the hotel. He carried the teen all the way to Yi's car and gently placed him in the back seat. Syaoran didn't show any signs of waking the whole time. Even after the thirty minute drive to the hotel, he didn't move once. Fujitaka grew increasingly worried.

tbc...

We're finally moving into the more exciting bits. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you reviewers! Your comments always make me smile. I'm very relieved that my characters seem to be in-character. Please let me know what you think about this chapter, as well!

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Sakura was not quite ready yet when the exhausted group arrived from Tomoyo's house. None of them had been able to sleep after the attack last night, so Tomoyo had tried to distract her guests with old movies from the card capturing days. Eriol had been amused by parts of the films, but his mind was always split between his current surroundings and his worry about what the mad magician was planning next.

Tomoyo had gone upstairs to finish helping Sakura frantically pack her suitcase. Nakuru followed them, excited to see what cute outfits the young card mistress owned. Touya was double checking that everything in the house was turned off and that anything perishable was thrown away so the house wouldn't smell when they returned, whenever that was. Kero and Spinel Sun fluttered around the dining room, arguing about who was better at video games and what desserts tasted best after a sweet victory. This left Yukito and Eriol seated in the living room, waiting for the others.

Eriol was lost in his thoughts and therefore was surprised to hear Yue's deeper voice addressing him, instead of Yukito. "You were attacked again, last night," the winged guardian stated.

"Yes," Eriol answered.

"I do not understand why Clow kept this memory from you," Yue said ponderously. His light blue eyes shifted away from Eriol's confused face as he thought.

"Huh?" the exhausted magician asked, less than eloquently. Yue, never one to waste words, did not bother to repeat himself. Eriol turned the words around in his mind until a jarring realization struck him. "You know who is doing this, don't you, Yue-san?"

"I have a suspicion. Clow had many enemies and I have not met your opponent, but a while ago something happened that could be related to all of this."

"What happened?"

"A tomb was found and all of the people involved in the discovery disappeared. I was only interested because the tomb had been created by Clow."

"Whose tomb?" Eriol demanded excitedly. If he knew who he was facing, it would be much easier to defeat this man. He could simply do whatever it was that Clow had done in the first place. He mentally chided himself for not thinking to simply ask Yue or Kerberos sooner.

"What's going on?" asked Ruby Moon as she appeared suddenly in the doorway. She had sensed Yue in his true form and worried that it meant they were being attacked again. Her eyes narrowed to see the other moon guardian seated with _her_ master.

Yue sensed Ruby Moon's animosity and jealousy. She had already lost Touya to him and he could tell that she feared Eriol would be drawn to him, as well. However, Yue did not particularly like Ruby Moon, so said patronizingly, "It took you this long to come to investigate?"

Ruby Moon was in his face instantly. "What are you implying, Yue?" She purposely left off the honorific, even though they were speaking in Japanese. Yue just smirked confidently.

"Yue-san, whose tomb?" Eriol interjected, drawing the older guardian's attention back to him.

"There must be a reason that Clow did not leave you that memory. But do not worry, Kerberos and I won't let anything happen to you," Yue promised. He shifted back into his disguise so Eriol could not question him further. Poor Yukito was stunned to be attacked with a pillow by an enraged Ruby Moon who insisted that she could take care of Eriol by herself.

Eriol, in his frustration at not getting the answer that he wanted, let her continue her pummeling of Yukito until Touya ran into the room and dragged the 'girl' off of his lover.

* * *

"_I will not let you harm innocent people."_

"_What right did you have to take my life?"_

"_It was the right thing to do. I was the only one who could stop you, so I had to do it."_

"_I will not be destroyed by this."_

"_I am sure you will finally be put to rest in the future."_

"_Can you not do it yourself, oh mighty Clow?"_

"_There is someone else better for the job."_

"_You will pay for this, Clow Reed. I promise!"_

_A flash of light and the angry voice was silenced. Stone closed over the still form of a man, his face still set in a scowl, even in death. Magical runes were etched into the stone and then a slip of blue paper came into sight. Another blinding light and then darkness._

"Aie!" Syaoran cried as he was thrust back into reality. The place he woke up in was dark and when he tried to move his legs, they became tangled in something thick and restraining. He struggled harder, kicking his legs and trying to shove off the offending restraints with his hands.

A light came on, causing Syaoran to force his eyes open, despite the pain it caused them. His vision cleared quickly and he could make out a stucco white ceiling above him. A worried face entered his sightline a few seconds later.

"Syaoran-kun, calm down," Fujitaka told him gently. Once he was sure that the boy recognized him, he placed a hand on Syaoran's forehead and searched for his aura. Everything seemed normal. Syaoran relaxed enough to let his eyelids flutter closed for a brief moment. His amber eyes opened again to search out Fujitaka. "Are you well?" Fujitaka asked, letting his hand slide from Syaoran's forehead to cup his pale cheek.

"Hie," Syaoran replied weakly. "There was a man - he was evil - but I couldn't understand what he was saying. A-and he said Clow…"

"The slip of paper that Yi-sensei gave you was a memory of Clow-sama's. Somehow, Clow-sama sealed it away. Yi-sensei said that only a descendent of Clow-sama would be able to access the memory now that Clow-sama is dead, which is why you were able to see it," Fujitaka explained.

"But… but I'm not a descendent anymore. I've been evicted from the Clan," Syaoran argued.

"I don't know," Fujitaka admitted. "Do you remember anything from the memory?"

"The man was very angry, but he was speaking in a foreign language, so I don't know what he said. I think I was Clow-sama and spoke in the same language. Then, a rock door seemed to close. The rock had runes on it."

"It must be the tomb that the memory card was found in," Fujitaka surmised. "I have no memory of any such thing, though it seems that if Clow had to seal the angry man in a tomb, he would have more than just one short memory of him."

"That is all that I saw," Syaoran said regretfully.

"Do not worry. When the others arrive tomorrow, we can ask Hiiragizawa-san if he has any memories."

"Tomorrow?" Syaoran questioned, perking up slightly. That would mean that he would be able to see Sakura again, even if Touya and Eriol were coming with her.

"Yes, Touya-kun called while you were still sleeping. They should be here early in the afternoon."

"What time is it now?"

"One in the morning," Fujitaka answered after glancing at the bedside clock quickly.

"Sorry," Syaoran mumbled, realizing that he had woken the older man up in the middle of the night with his nightmarish vision.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Syaoran-kun. Do you think you will be able to sleep again?"

"I'll try," Syaoran replied. To his surprise, he yawned. Perhaps he could sleep after all. He curled up around his pillow and closed his eyes. Fujitaka pulled the blankets up and tucked them securely around the boy before laying back on his own pillow. It took him a while to fall asleep and he was woken once again by the same draw to the door that he had experienced the night before. With a heavy sigh, he resigned himself to the fact that he probably wouldn't get any sleep that night. Well, as a college professor, he was used to that.

* * *

"You sure are taking running to the extreme, Clow Reed," the young Englishman sneered as he watched the group board the 747. "First Japan, then China? Don't worry, I won't let you get too far ahead of me." He smirked and flipped his newspaper back up so none of the guardians would recognize him. His row would board shortly.

"I hate flying economy," Nakuru sighed as she tried to shove her overfull carry-on into the overhead compartment.

"Well, you didn't have to bring your entire wardrobe in your carry-on," Touya commented. He reached over her head and pushed her bag to the side so his would fit, as well.

"Aw, you're so strong, Touya-kun," she said with fluttering lashes. She grabbed onto his right arm and hung there, smiling up at him.

"Get off," he scowled, shaking her loose. "Can't you control her, Hiiragizawa-san?"

"Nope," the younger male responded absently as he flipped open the leaflet on what to do if the plane crashed. This only served to make Nakuru's smile grow even wider.

"We gave up a long time ago," Suppi lamented, content that he was safe from prying eyes in Tomoyo's lap.

"What do you mean, 'we,' Suppi-kun?" Nakuru questioned. She let go of Touya so she could snatch the little panther plushie away from Tomoyo. She held him aloft by the scruff of his neck. Suppi glared at her bravely.

"Please, clear the aisle so others can move by you," a flight attendant requested docilely behind Touya. This at least got Nakuru to sit down. Unfortunately, the only open seat remaining was the aisle seat directly next to her. "Yuki, switch with me," Touya requested.

"I'm quite comfortable, thanks," his boyfriend replied sweetly, smiling innocently at him. Touya glared, but Yukito had long since been immune.

"Kaijuu…" He turned next to his little sister.

"Don't call me that!" she glowered and that was the end of that. The flight attendant tapped her foot impatiently, so Touya had no choice but to slump into the seat next to Nakuru. She looked excessively pleased with this turnout. She had her two favorite boys on either side of her.

Tomoyo, who was at the opposite end of the row from Touya, sleepily pulled her purple travel blanket and pillow from her bag, which was stowed under her seat. "Are you okay?" Sakura asked from the seat next to her.

"Oh, yes. I'm just a little tired." Tomoyo smiled reassuringly at her best friend. "Do not worry about me, Sakura-chan. I will sleep better knowing that you aren't distressed." Sakura paused at this before smiling broadly.

"Hie," she agreed. Once Tomoyo had situated herself comfortably, Sakura turned to Yukito, who was on her other side. "Yukito-san, this is almost like the last time we went to Hong Kong," she noted cheerfully.

"It is," he agreed, smiling at her fondly. "Of course, the food is a lot better in first class," he remembered wistfully. "Fortunately, I brought snacks!" He pulled out his under-seat carry-on and opened it to reveal that it was stuffed to the brim with food. Sakura sweat-dropped to see all of it. Yukito, however, was always willing to share and therefore offered her some. Sakura, never wanting to turn away something from her prior crush, readily agreed to eat some Teddy Grahams. Yukito also offered food to the rest of their small group, but no one else wanted any. Content to have it all to himself, Yukito dug in.

The flight attendants began the pre-flight instructions, which most of the seasoned travelers ignored as they got ready for the long flight. Others ignored them because they were too busy poking their neighbor irritatingly.

"Stop it!" Touya hissed, pushing Nakuru away from him.

"Aw, you're no fun, To-ya-kun!" This made Yukito pause from his eating and lean forward so he could see the girl around Eriol, who was between them.

"That is my nickname," the snow bunny reminded her. It was one of the few things that he was adamant about concerning the strange girl from England. Usually, he thought she was quite nice. In the back of his mind, Yue snorted, and then immediately denied that he would do such a thing.

Nakuru narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she regarded the other moon guardian's disguise. She wondered how far she could push him until the placid Yukito finally stood up for himself, without Touya always jumping to his defense. She was concerned that Yukito would end up losing Touya if he didn't ward off threats. She told herself that she was just giving him practice.

Unfortunately, Touya knew her tricks too well and he wasn't afraid to stop her in her tracks. "You leave him alone, Akizuki-san."

"Aren't you worried about what will happen if we crash?" Eriol questioned sweetly as he looked between the three "oldest" travelers.

"No," the three answered in unison. Nakuru continued, "I'm sure you'd save us all, Eriol, dear." She turned away from Touya to throw her arms around Eriol's neck and place a wet kiss on his cheek. Eriol patiently endured it, knowing that if he didn't respond in an interesting way, she would leave him alone eventually. It was something that Spinel Sun, as observant as he was, had yet to figure out.

He was saved as the plane started to taxi onto the runway. Nakuru let go of him so she could squeal in delight, "I love this part!" Before long, they were all plastered to their seats as the mighty jet forced itself airborne.

Five rows behind them, a smartly dressed Englishman readily disagreed with the overly loud guardian. This was his third flight and he had already decided on his first flight that he hated this newfangled invention. This was one more thing he was going to make Clow Reed's descendent pay for: making him endure the torture of flying. As his stomach lurched, the magician's anger rose. He refused to be the only one who suffered.

The plane leveled off and the flight attendants began distributing drinks. Touya lamented that one had to pay for the alcohol. He thought he needed some to survive the flight sitting next to Akizuki. He settled for water. He figured that if he drank enough, eventually he would have an excuse to get up and head to the bathroom. If it got bad enough, he might go to the bathroom, anyway.

Further down the row, Sakura's magical senses tingled. "Hoe?" she whispered to herself. She unzipped her little winged purse where her Cards were resting. She pulled out Mirror and Create. The Cards seemed bothered by something but were unable to explain what it was.

At the same time, Eriol sipped slowly at his tea, trying to stay awake. Even thousands of feet in the air, he didn't feel safe. Reading the emergency instructions a million times wasn't helping, either. His fears were realized when the distressingly familiar feeling of his magic surging rose within him sharply. It wasn't enough to cause an explosion, but his hot beverage went flying, covering his lap and Spinel Sun, who had moved to allow Tomoyo to sleep.

"Hot, hot!" he cried, jumping up and trying to wipe the offending liquid with his bare hands. Spinel Sun dove under the seat to avoid the scalding drops and tend to his own minor burns.

"Eriol!" Nakuru exclaimed as her master scrambled in his small seat. He nearly put an elbow in Yukito's face, but the college student managed to dodge it just in time. Nakuru tried to grab one of Eriol's hands, but she received a huge shock when she made contact with his bare skin. "Damn it!" she swore as she realized what was happening.

"He's on the plane, on the plane!" Eriol hissed, reeling from the shock as well.

"What's going on?" Sakura questioned worriedly as she shoved her two Cards back in her purse. She had seen the sparks generated when Eriol and Nakuru had touched and she sensed Clow's presence, meaning that Eriol must have used magic on her. But why? And why did it feel like…?

Touya echoed her spoken question as he reached around Akizuki to hold the squirming reincarnation. He received a similar painful shock. "Don't touch me!" Eriol panted as he clutched the armrests. The burning in his lap was finally starting to turn ice cold, which actually felt good at the moment.

"It's that bastard! He does this to Eriol-kun, making his magic surge so he can barely control it," Nakuru explained angrily as she watched her master shake violently.

"Sakura-chan, use Shield and Illusion," Yukito ordered.

"Okay," Sakura agreed, knowing that she'd have to use Erase later to wipe clean the memories of the curious spectators. Throwing caution to the wind in the face of her concern for her friend, Sakura pulled out her key and released her wand. As soon as the Shield was in place and the Illusion set, both Yue and Ruby Moon emerged in their true forms. Yue was faster and wrapped his arms around Eriol's chest, pulling the struggling teenager into a tight hold. Eriol struggled initially, but once he realized that he was no longer giving shocks to those who touched him, he sagged lifelessly in Yue's arms. Yue loosened one arm so he could press his hand to Eriol's forehead. Unlike Syaoran, who also drew his magic from the moon, Yue could not simply refuel the young reincarnation, but he could still ease the quivering magic within the spent body.

Eriol cringed briefly at the new invasion of magic, but calmed quickly once he recognized the source. He tried to take deep breaths to center himself before even daring to open his eyes. As Ruby Moon leaned over to gently stroke her struggling master's pale face and Spinel Sun emerged from his hiding place, Yue noticed their protective bubble wavering. He glanced over his shoulder to his own master, whose emerald eyes were dripping salty water.

"Sakura-chan, do not cry," he told her softly. "Everything will be alright." The young girl nodded at hearing the familiar words and concentrated on her magic again, strengthening Shield. She also decided that now was as good of time as any to pull out Erase. Kero slipped out of her bag and hovered curiously near Yue's shoulder.

"Is he okay now?" Touya asked as he sucked on one of his wounded fingers.

"He's not shocking anymore," Yue answered as he continued to feed comforting magic into the dark-haired boy. Everyone understood his evasive response for what it was… Eriol was still being affected by the attack.

"I don't understand," Ruby Moon said angrily. "Before, using a magical shield completely severed the connection."

"Sakura's Shield does not cut off those within the protection from their magic," Yue explained. "She is simply giving us the opportunity to help him without leaving him completely vulnerable."

"So that bastard is still hurting him?" she deduced furiously. Yue didn't respond, just looked down again at Eriol's pained expression.

"What can we do?" Sakura asked.

"We have to find the moron who's doing this," Kero answered aggressively. "Just let me at him, I'll show him the meaning of pain!"

"He has a yellow aura," Ruby Moon supplied. She sent out her own aura to seek the tormenter's. "Of course, he's hidden it." She sighed heavily, hating feeling so helpless. At least she could remove the staining liquid from Eriol's khaki trousers.

"You could send out Shadow," Tomoyo suggested to Sakura. She was wide awake now, due to all of the commotion.

"It's risky," Kero warned them. "Sakura-chan is already supporting two cards and used a third."

"I can do it," Sakura argued with determination. "I can help Eriol-kun."

"If the sorcerer is blocking his aura, Shadow won't be able to find him," Yue reminded them. Sakura didn't want that to be true, so she looked to Kero-chan imploringly.

"He's right," Kero said as his wings drooped.

"He's behind us," Eriol managed to say weakly. "I can feel…"

"Ah!" Ruby Moon exclaimed. "In order to push on Eriol's magic, he has to push with his own. So we can trace him through Eriol-kun."

"N-no," Eriol protested. "It hurts enough already. Don't use me as a battleground."

"I could just go through the plane and sock every guy on here," Touya offered.

"I'll help you!" Kero offered. "We'll beat up everyone, won't we Suppi-kun?"

"My name isn't Suppi-kun!" the plushie in question cried. He was still sore from being burned by Eriol's tea and didn't think he deserved the further injustice of being referred to as "Suppi."

"No, you guys can't do that," Sakura scolded them. Her voice shook a little and immediately everyone but Eriol turned to stare at her.

"Oh no, Sakura-chan, you're pushing yourself too hard," Kero realized.

"Eriol-kun, can you tell us what he looks like?" Ruby Moon asked.

"English," was all he could muster.

"Um…" Ruby Moon, misunderstanding, repeated the question in English.

"No… he's English. Dark blonde, brown eyes," Eriol elaborated in Japanese. He was exhausted from pushing down the magic even with the help he was receiving from Yue and Sakura. All he wanted as to give in so he could slip into the comforting blackness of unconsciousness, but he held on, knowing that to give in would hurt them all.

"I'll look," Touya offered, practically launching from his seat.

Eriol focused on breathing and listening to Yue's heart beat beneath his ear. He tried timing his breaths to the guardian's heartbeat, but Yue was on high-alert so the rhythm was too fast. Instead he tried every other beat, and then every third, until he could finally comfortably match the pace. With each second, the desire to just _stop_ grew stronger and stronger.

_Let go_, a soft, masculine voice echoed in the back of his mind. _He doesn't want the plane to crash, either_.

Eriol ground his teeth together and tightened his hold on the magic. He couldn't let go or people would die.

_Let go_, the voice repeated and Eriol realized that it was familiar. It was Clow Reed? _Yes, it is safe to let go_, the voice assured him.

Clow?

_Let go, Eriol. Sleep_.

With a shuddering breath, Eriol let go of the magic and let himself fall into the welcoming blackness.

"What happened?" Ruby Moon demanded when her master went limp.

"It stopped," Yue said suspiciously.

"I can let Shield and Illusion go?" Sakura asked weakly. She gripped Yue's arm with white fingers.

"Let us transform," Ruby Moon reminded her. She quickly resumed her disguised form so she could take Eriol from Yue. The original moon guardian changed back to Yukito. Sakura called Shield and Illusion back to her before slumping against Yukito's side.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried, patting her friend's face.

"Let her sleep. She's just tired," Kero told her quietly. He had to pretend to be a plushie again.

The anxious travelers settled in for the rest of the long flight.

tbc...

Let me know what you thought! As always, constructive criticism is most welcome, as well.


	8. Chapter 8

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

I was excited by the amount of positive feedback I recieved, so I'm going to post Chapter Eight a bit earlier than intended. Thank you so much for reviewing!

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Syaoran and Fujitaka waited impatiently for the plane bearing their friends and family to land. As the plane had come closer and closer to the airport, Fujitaka could begin to sense both of his children's unease. He wouldn't be able to breathe easily until he had seen them with his own eyes.

Syaoran, while not able to sense their auras himself, could see the obvious strain in Fujitaka's face. The older man hadn't been able to explain what he was feeling, but just the fact that he was uneasy was enough to make Syaoran look at everyone who passed them suspiciously.

Finally, the door to the ramp opened and weary looking people began to file out of the exit. Syaoran and Fujitaka watched closely for Sakura and the others.

Touya, being taller than most, was the first person they saw. Fujitaka waved at his son, who nodded in response and changed his direction. However, it was Sakura who reached them first. She threw her arms around her father's chest and clung to him. "Oh, Otou-san, I'm so glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you, Sakura-san," he replied, hugging her back. She pulled away after a moment to subject her boyfriend to the same crushing hug.

"Are you well, Syao-kun? I was so worried!" Syaoran's face betrayed him and turned red as he hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, Sakura, I am well." During her visit last night, Li Yelan had superficially healed the bruise under her son's eye, so while it was still a bit tender, the discoloration was gone.

The rest of the group emerged from the crowd, led by Tomoyo. She held a motionless Kero in her arms. Behind her were Eriol and Nakuru, then Touya and Yukito. Eriol seemed to be clinging to Nakuru's arm, while the two college-aged young men hovered closely behind them.

"What happened?" Fujitaka questioned worriedly as he took in the English boy's disheveled appearance.

"Let's go to the hotel," Touya suggested as he glanced over his shoulder. Fujitaka frowned and instinctively sought out his daughter. She was still hale, standing with her boyfriend and best friend, even if she did look a little pale.

"Fine," he responded. "I had thought we would take public transportation, but perhaps it would be better if we took a taxi."

"Probably," Touya agreed. "Otou-san, why don't you take the kids back to the hotel and Yukito, Akizuki-san, and I can get our luggage." Fujitaka thought this might be a good idea, seeing as how Eriol looked like he was about to fall over if someone breathed on him too strongly.

"You can't expect to send Eriol-kun across Hong Kong without me," Nakuru argued as she wrapped an arm around Eriol's shoulders protectively.

"He'll have Suppi-san," Touya reminded her. "As well as Sakura-chan, the kid, and Kerberos-san. It's only for an hour or two." Nakuru grudgingly agreed after Eriol nodded that he would be fine and that he simply needed to sleep on something more comfortable than an airplane seat.

Syaoran peered at Eriol suspiciously. He had never seen the dark-haired boy look so beaten before. He tried to squash down the worry that he felt by reminding himself that he didn't like Eriol, but the truth was that he didn't want anything to happen to the other boy. They were related, after all. "I could stay here," he offered at last. "Then Akizuki-san could stay with Hiiragizawa-kun. She wouldn't be very helpful with luggage, anyway."

"That's true," Nakuru readily stated, looking for any way to stay with her master. She truly didn't want to cart luggage all over Hong Kong, either. Plus, she and Eriol only had carry-on luggage anyway, so she didn't have to worry about Touya and Yukito forgetting anything.

"That's a great idea," Yukito said helpfully, smiling kindly at the Chinese boy. Despite his love for Sakura, Syaoran still couldn't help coloring slightly as his old crush paid attention to him. It was decided then. Fujitaka, the girls, and Eriol headed out of the airport to hail a taxi while Touya, Yukito, and Syaoran made for the luggage claim area.

Outside the airport, Fujitaka realized that without Syaoran, hailing a taxi and giving directions would be much more difficult. As they waited for one of the cars, he frantically tried to think of the words that he would need.

"Where are we going, Kinomoto-sensei?" Eriol asked him as they waited. Fujitaka gave him the name of the hotel and then basic directions on how to get there when he asked. He assumed it was simply because Eriol was curious, but he was relieved when the taxi finally arrived, for the young sorcerer was able to tell the taxi driver in perfect Cantonese how to find their hotel. He should have known that the boy would be able to speak this language as fluently as he did Japanese and English.

"Wow, you speak Chinese, too, Eriol-kun!" Sakura gushed once they sandwiched into the cab.

"Yeah," Eriol answered. He managed a weak smile for his friend.

They reached the hotel in about twenty minutes. Fujitaka paid the driver and then guided the group up the room that he and Syaoran had been sharing. Housekeeping had been through while they were at the airport, so the bed was freshly made. Eriol kicked off his shoes and flopped down on the bed, not caring if Fujitaka minded or not. As well as he knew the (physically) older man, he didn't think Fujitaka would be too offended. He was sleeping within minutes.

"Will you tell me now what happened?" Fujitaka asked the girls.

"Otou-san, that mean magician was on the airplane!" Sakura informed him.

"The one who attacked Hiiragizawa-san in London?"

"Yes! And he attacked again, while we were on the plane! I had to use Shield and Illusion and then Erase to erase people's memories. It was horrible." Her emerald green eyes watered at the memory and she looked over at her friend sadly.

"How was Hiiragizawa-san attacked?" Fujitaka questioned. He moved to the side of the bed that Eriol was lying on and peered down at the teen. Physically, besides looking exhausted, he seemed fine.

"With magic," Nakuru answered. "He finds Eriol-kun's link to the magic and sends his own through it. It was all Eriol-kun could do to contain the magic and prevent another explosion that would have killed so many."

"Including himself," Tomoyo pointed out. She couldn't decide if their tormentor really was suicidal or if they really hadn't been in too much danger after all. She supposed it wasn't a risk worth taking if he didn't mind dying himself while hurting Eriol.

"Every time someone touched him, they got a magic shock," Sakura told her father. She was sniffling now as she remembered the trial. Fujitaka 'hmmed' and took one of Eriol's smaller hands in his own. Using his small magical ability, he searched for Eriol's red aura. He found it quite easily, seeing as the boy was magically powerful and also not shielding it. Fujitaka could also see faint burn marks on the hand he held, which weren't visible to the naked eye. They were burn marks caused by magic. It had to have been due to the shocks that Sakura was talking about. Fujitaka placed Eriol's hand back on the bed before reaching up to remove the boy's glasses. He knew from experience that it was uncomfortable to sleep wearing metal frames.

"But Sakura-chan did very well," Kero announced as he crawled out of Sakura's handbag. Suppi had been carried like a toy by Nakuru, since his minor burns still stung a little. Nakuru would do her best to soothe him until Eriol woke up again. The little yellow guardian continued. "She was able to maintain three cards at once, even while Yue was in his true form."

"Yue-san was there?" Fujitaka questioned in mild surprise. It was a risk for Sakura to use the Cards in a crowded public place, but for one of the guardians to transform? The attack must have been worse than he originally thought.

"Yes, Yue-san and Ruby-san were trying to help Eriol-kun," Tomoyo replied. "He looked like he was in so much pain." Her voice caught on the last few words, prompting Sakura to sit down next to her and hug her tightly. Tomoyo thanked her with a watery smile.

"Perhaps we should find something to eat," Fujitaka suggested as he placed a warm hand gently on Tomoyo's head. "We could order room service and it should be here by the time the boys return."

"That sounds good, Otou-san," Sakura said. Fujitaka glanced at the phone and then at the sleeping Eriol.

"Akizuki-san, do you speak Chinese?" he asked her.

"Nope," she responded cheerfully. "I've never been to China and therefore didn't think it was necessary to learn."

"I can speak a little," Suppi offered.

"Oh, Suppi-kun!" Kero exclaimed, fluttering over to hover near Eriol's guardians. "You had hot tea spilled on you. We forgot to clean you."

"I'm fine," the miniature panther said shortly. He most definitely did not want a bath and he would zap Kero if the idea became lodged in Nakuru's mind.

"Hot tea?" asked Fujitaka. He felt like he was only getting bits and pieces of the whole story.

"Suppi-kun was sitting in Eriol-kun's lap when the attack started. Eriol-kun spilled his drink on Suppi-kun."

"I see. Well, Spinel-san, if you are feeling up to it, would you call for room service?" He thought it would be strange to see the small cat talking on the phone, but he had seen Kero do it enough times, so perhaps it wouldn't be that odd.

Spinel Sun appreciated that the older reincarnation of Clow respected his given name so he agreed to make the call. Those awake in the room poured over the menu to decide what they wanted. Keeping in mind that Yukito would be joining them, Fujitaka made sure to double the order.

While Spinel Sun spoke with the person taking the order, Fujitaka and Nakuru worked on making Eriol more comfortable. Fujitaka gently raised Eriol into a sitting position so Nakuru could pull off his winter parka and knit scarf. The English magician hadn't bothered to remove anything more than his shoes before passing out on the bed. Fujitaka laid Eriol back on the bed and used the discarded parka to drape over the teen's upper body as a makeshift blanket.

All that was left to do was wait.

* * *

"How much clothing did you have to bring, Daidouji-chan?" Syaoran questioned once all of the luggage had been brought up to his and Fujitaka's hotel room. Her suitcase was by far the largest and nearly bursting.

"With all that is happening, I had to make sure I had plenty of cute costumes for Sakura-chan," Tomoyo retorted as she moved to reclaim her suitcase. Syaoran sweat-dropped.

"Perhaps after we eat, we can see about hotel arrangements for everyone," Fujitaka suggested. The small room they were in now was quickly running out of breathing room, what with four adults, four teenagers, and two cat guardians.

"That's a good idea," Touya said, glancing around the room as well. He was thankful that Nakuru was currently preoccupied with watching her master sleep or else he was sure she would take advantage of the lack of seating and try to sit on his lap.

"Let's eat," Yukito suggested from next to Touya. His hazel eyes lit up at the idea of food. Even since Yue was not taking up as much energy as before, Yukito hadn't broken his habit of eating a lot. He still loved good food.

"What would you like, Yukito-san?" Fujitaka asked.

"Oh, some of that and that… and that… and that…" The young man quickly pointed to about every dish available. Fortunately, he was considerate enough to leave some for the others, so everyone was able to eat their fill. Once the last paper plate had been tossed into the trash bin, Touya and his father looked at each other.

"We probably don't all need to go looking for another hotel," Touya commented. "Besides, the wizard doesn't look like he's going to wake up any time soon."

"Hey," Nakuru scolded with narrowed eyes. Touya ignored her.

"We could leave the kids here for a while. Yukito and I can probably remember a lot from the last time we were here," Touya continued.

"We can also ask at the reception desk," Fujitaka added. "Would you like to come with us, Akizuki-san?" he asked. The "girl" had started fidgeting about halfway through the meal and from what he knew of her, Fujitaka didn't think she'd handle being cooped in the claustrophobic room for much longer.

Nakuru was torn. She really wanted to get outside to see the city but she didn't want to leave Eriol behind. Her master looked very defenseless curled up under his parka in the middle of the crowded room.

"Don't worry, Ruby Moon," Yukito spoke, but everyone had a feeling that it was actually Yue who was addressing her. "Both Spinel Sun and Kerberos will be here, plus Sakura-chan and Li-kun."

"Fine. I will go with you," she agreed. She seemed a bit calmer once that had been decided.

"Are you okay with staying here, Sakura-san?" Fujitaka asked his daughter.

"Yup! I might take a nap, too. I'm tired from the airplane. Plus, Tomoyo-chan didn't get to sleep much last night," she added for her best friend.

"What happened?" Syaoran asked, looking between the two girls worriedly.

"I will tell you in a while," Tomoyo answered. "Now, I am very sleepy." Syaoran frowned, but Tomoyo was never intimidated by his looks.

"Let's go then, before it gets much later," Touya suggested. He stood and found his jacket. The other adults followed suit. Within minutes, the room had cleared out, except for the four teenagers and cat guardians.

"I'm tired!" Sakura announced, crawling onto the bed. She flopped down in the middle. Tomoyo laid down between her and edge of the bed. "Take a nap with us, Syao-kun," Sakura pleaded with wide emerald eyes. Syaoran immediately turned red, which caused Tomoyo to giggle. Fortunately, this helped Syaoran regain his composure. Besides, he decided, if he didn't lay down, Sakura would be next to Eriol, and why pass up the opportunity to be close to his girlfriend? Sakura smiled widely when he moved next to her.

He had just made himself comfortable on his side facing Sakura when Eriol rolled over and pressed his face against the Chinese boy's back. He immediately tensed and craned his neck so he could see the English boy to tell him off, but when he looked, Eriol's face was still lax with sleep. With a scowl, Syaoran let him be.

* * *

During most of the meal and the discussion about hotel rooms, Eriol had actually been awake. He opted to pretend to still be sleeping, since he was exhausted and didn't want to be pestered with questions, and also because he didn't think he could eat anything, anyway. He felt raw inside from the ordeal on the plane and the very thought of food made his stomach turn.

Instead, he half-listened to what was being said and half-pondered what had happened earlier that day. He was sure it was Clow Reed who had urged him to give in the waiting blackness. The voice had been right: the attack did stop as soon as he let go. What did that mean? How had the other magician known what his threshold was and when he had given in? Was he weak because he'd given in?

Finally, the adults had left. Sakura and Tomoyo had instantly decided to nap as well. When Sakura asked Syaoran to join them, Eriol could imagine his cute descendant's red face. That was what prompted him to curl up to Syaoran's back once the Chinese boy had made himself comfortable. Syaoran was too easy to tease and with how crappy Eriol felt, he needed something to cheer him.

He was a very good actor so he managed to still look asleep as Syaoran prepared to yell at him. Eriol let himself smile as Syaoran turned back around with the intention of letting Eriol stay where he was. Syaoran was warm and the tingle of subdued moon magic under his nose gave Eriol something comforting to focus on. That was one thing, at least, Eriol thought to himself. I must still be rather powerful to be the only one who can still sense the boy's aura. Silly Li Clan and their belief in traditions…

That was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep for real.

* * *

"Akizuki-san?" Yukito asked, looking at the dark-haired guardian.

"Yes?" She hadn't been bothering Touya, so she wondered why the other moon guardian's disguise was addressing her.

"Why is your master alerting the whole city to his whereabouts like a beacon?"

"Wha- Oh no!" She immediately transformed into Ruby Moon and darted into the sky. She disappeared from their sight before Fujitaka or Touya could wrap their minds around what was happening.

"We should probably return to the hotel," Touya said faintly, noticing the disturbance himself. Fujitaka cringed unconsciously. The three men hurried down the street towards the closest bus stop.

tbc...

A bit of lame cliffhanger. Please let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I hope this chapter is enjoyable as well.

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Hiiragizawa-kun. Hiir-a-giz-a-wa…"

"What?" the English boy asked drowsily. He didn't want to wake up yet. It felt like only five minutes had passed. He noticed, however, that his warm pillow had moved away.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping." Eriol's brow furrowed. Wasn't that obvious? He knew Syaoran wasn't that oblivious.

"Are you trying to summon that magician here?"

"No." Eriol forced his eyes open so he could see the blurry brown and amber of his previous classmate. Within moments, he realized that a blurry emerald and strawberry blonde swirl and a blurry black and violet swirl were also watching him from over Syaoran's shoulders. He sensed the presence of strong star magic: Sakura was using one of her cards. He thought that should concern him, but all he wanted was to sleep again.

"Hey. Wake up," Syaoran snapped when Eriol closed his eyes again. He shook the English boy's shoulder, but Eriol was insistent on going back to sleep.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked tearfully. "Why is Eriol-kun glowing?"

"It's his aura," Syaoran explained shortly. "Usually someone with magic will keep their aura reigned in a bit. People with insane stalkers after them usually completely hide theirs." Syaoran punctuated this with a sharp smack to Eriol's back. "Because it's really easy. To trace another magician. By their aura." His voice grew progressively louder and each sentence ended with another smack. The impact was dulled by Eriol's thick coat and the sweater he wore underneath, but the intention was clear and it was irritating. Why couldn't they just let him sleep?

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

"You have to get him to wake up," Kero said urgently. He fluttered nervously around Syaoran's head. "Come on, kid!"

"I'm trying!" Syaoran snapped impatiently. "Hiiragizawa!"

"Spinel-san, what should we do?" Sakura demanded of the boy's guardian. The tiny black panther looked quite upset.

"He's a very light sleeper. We've never been unable to wake him before," Suppi responded.

"What about water?" Tomoyo suggested.

"The bed will get all wet," Syaoran pointed out.

"I think wet linens are the least of our problems," Kero argued back. He and Syaoran glared at each other for a moment before Syaoran broke the contact and looked back at the prone Eriol. He had to try a new tactic. He really wished that he had his magic right now. He'd call on the god of water to drown the fool, if that's what it took, to hell with wet linens.

"Hiiragizawa, wake up," he ordered. Eriol's only movement was to turn his face away and pull his jacket up higher. "Don't ignore me," Syaoran huffed. He grabbed Eriol's shoulder and rolled the slightly taller boy onto his back. "Wake up!" This time he opted to smack Eriol's pale cheek. While he didn't hit him as hard as he had when smacking his back, the result was much more chaotic. It ended with both teens on the floor, with Syaoran draped awkwardly over Eriol's lap. He scrambled up and leaned against the bed, clutching his smarting hand against his chest. Eriol gingerly held his aching cheek.

"Oh, he's shocking people again!" Kero surmised as he flew down to peer into the reincarnation's face. Eriol tried to focus on him, which only served to make his eyes cross.

"Hoe!" Sakura cried. "Are you alright, Eriol-kun? Syaoran-kun?"

"What's going on?" Eriol asked, groping for his glasses on the bedside table. Tomoyo reached over and picked them up to hand to Eriol.

"Your aura is loose," Syaoran informed him harshly. "Every sorcerer in China would be able to trace you if it weren't for Shield."

Eriol immediately realized what the Chinese boy meant. He wasn't devoting any energy at all to containing his aura. He must have released it when he fell into the exhausted slumber. Quickly, he pulled it back into himself. This allowed Sakura to let Shield return to its card form.

"You are really powerful, Eriol-kun," Sakura commented in awe.

"Clow-sama must have had a lot of magic indeed if Eriol is still so strong, even after giving half of the magic to your father, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo stated. She looked down sympathetically Eriol.

"Even Daidouji-chan and I could see your aura," Syaoran mentioned. It didn't really surprise Eriol that Syaoran could, but Daidouji didn't have any magic. A magician had to have a really powerful aura, and completely let go of it, for someone without magic to be able to see it.

"Damn it," Eriol swore in English. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. The urge to sleep was still strong, but he fought it down.

"What?" Sakura questioned at hearing the foreign word.

"Ha ha, it was nothing," Kero tittered.

"Kero-chan…" Sakura threatened, wanting to know what her friend had uttered. Syaoran had a fairly good idea, himself, so decided to change the subject.

"Is that guy pushing your magic again?" he asked, peering at the English boy closely, but making sure not to come even remotely close to touching him again. The shock had really hurt and Sakura had told him about the incident on the airplane, so he surmised it was the same thing happening again.

"No. I just feel really sleepy," Eriol answered. "Thank you for your help, Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun."

"I'm worried about you, Eriol-kun!" Sakura cried out, clutching her wand tightly. Tomoyo nodded her agreement. Even Syaoran looked concerned.

"I'm fine," Eriol lied. He smiled at the trio before him. In truth, he felt horrible and was now worried about not being able to contain his aura while sleeping. Tomoyo bravely reached over to place her hand over one of his. With his aura under control again there was no shock as their bare skin made contact.

* * *

Eriol had either pulled in his aura or something horrible had happened. Ruby Moon could no longer sense the powerful concentration of magic, but her continued existence gave her hope that at least Eriol was still alive. She wasn't sure that she and Suppi would continue on like Yue and Kerberos had after Clow's death. Special arrangements had been made for Clow's first guardians.

Knowing that she couldn't swoop into the hotel in her true form (ignoring that fact that she had taken off in the middle of crowded Hong Kong in the first place), she landed silently on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. She transformed back into her disguise as soon as her feet touched the ground. Immediately, she started running towards the entrance and didn't notice the young man curiously looking up at the building until she ran full into him. They both tumbled to the sidewalk.

"Ow," Nakuru complained, holding her head.

"Are you okay - Nakuru!" The question in English and her name caused the stunned guardian to look at him.

"Eddy!" she shrieked happily, her master momentarily forgotten as she threw her arms around her current love-interest's neck. "Wait, why are you in Hong Kong?"

"I could ask the same of you! I thought you were going to Japan," he replied.

"Oh, we did, but it got boring, so we came here," she told him, hoping that her sweat drop wasn't visible. "What about you?"

"I was able to find last minute tickets to come here," he explained cheerfully. "Since you were in Japan, I thought I would experience some time abroad, too, so we could compare stories when you got back."

"You're so cute!" Nakuru squealed. She suddenly remembered why she had returned to the hotel and her smile dropped. "Oh dear! I'm so glad to see you Eddy, but I have to go."

"Yes, you did seem to be in a hurry. Is everything okay?"

"I got a call from my little brother," she lied effortlessly. Well, it was slightly more true than her reason for being in Hong Kong in the first place. "He's not feeling well, so I need to check on him."

"What's wrong?" He seemed genuinely concerned, which made Nakuru even happier to see him.

"Oh, you know…" she said evasively. "A cold, I think, but a pretty bad one."

"Is there anything I can do? I would like to meet him, since you speak so highly of him," Eddy said smoothly.

"Hm," Nakuru pondered this. She wanted Eriol to meet Eddy as well, but now wasn't a good time. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect when she got to the hotel room. "Where are you staying? I could call you when he's feeling better."

"Sure," Eddy replied with a wide smile. He pulled out a piece of paper and jotted down the name of his hotel. "I don't know the hotel's number, but I'm sure you can find it in a phone book."

"Definitely. It's so good to see you, Eddy." She hugged him again and then pulled away. She waved cutely at him as she slipped into the hotel. Once she was gone, Eddy looked up at the hotel again, smiled, and then ambled away, whistling cheerfully to himself.

Upstairs, Nakuru pounded on the door to the hotel room. The door cracked open a tiny bit, the chain in place, and a violet eye peered out at the guardian. "Let me in, Tomoyo-chan," Nakuru insisted, smiling sweetly at the girl. Tomoyo nodded and undid the chain so the door could open all the way.

"Where is he?" the guardian demanded once she entered the room. Her sharp eyes immediately located Eriol. He had moved to one of the hotel chairs in the corner of the room. Syaoran sat at the foot of the bed facing him. Sakura was next to him. They all looked over when Nakuru entered. "What happened?" she demanded, sitting on the arm of the chair and pulling her master into a hug.

"You should let him breathe and maybe he'd tell you," Syaoran suggested wryly.

"Hush, you," Nakuru scowled at the Chinese boy, but she loosened her hold on Eriol, anyway.

"I don't know what happened," Eriol told her in a tired voice. "I just woke up when my dear little descendent shocked me." He glanced sideways at the sputtering heir to the Li Clan.

"YOU shocked ME!" Syaoran corrected. Instead of being intimidated, Eriol only laughed softly.

"I guess I was in a deep enough sleep that my hold on my aura slipped. Fortunately, Sakura-chan used Shield until Syaoran-kun woke me up."

"Yukito-san, of all people, sensed you on the other side of Hong Kong," Nakuru stated. Eriol cringed at that.

"I wouldn't suspect anything less from Yue," Kero spoke up. "But everything is under control, now."

"As long as a mad sorcerer doesn't come pounding on the door," Syaoran pointed out. Everyone looked towards the door with baited breath. After a minute with no pounding, everyone was able to breathe out and look away from the menacing door.

"I didn't see any mad sorcerers on my way in here," Nakuru told them. "But guess who is in Hong Kong!" Her volume of voice rose drastically and caused the four teens to all lean away from her to protect their ear drums.

"Who?" Eriol asked gamely.

"Eddy!"

Syaoran covered his ears and Sakura and Tomoyo stared at Nakuru. Was it really necessary to yell?

"Your friend from London?" Eriol clarified.

"Yup! He said that he made last minute plans to come to Hong Kong so he would have interesting stories to tell me when I came back from Japan." Nakuru was clearly very pleased with that.

"That's sort of suspicious," Syaoran told her with narrowed eyes. "Why Hong Kong?"

"Stop being so paranoid, brat," Nakuru snapped, glaring back at him.

"Don't call me a brat," Syaoran growled.

"If the shoe fits…" Nakuru taunted, leaning towards the fuming boy.

"Um… guys…" Sakura said nervously. Her plea was ineffective as Syaoran jumped up to confront the guardian. Nakuru, never one to back down from a fight, especially with someone a head shorter than her and currently magic-less, responded quickly. In her true form, she was able to pin the squirming teen to the bed within a minute. Once she had him secured, she did something that she knew he would absolutely hate: she planted a big, extremely wet kiss on his cheek. Syaoran tripled his attempts to get loose.

"Ruby, you're going to hurt him," Eriol said gently. Ruby Moon's grin was feral as she looked down at the amber-eyed boy.

"You're only being spared because Eriol-kun asked for it," she informed him. She jumped off the bed and transformed back into Akizuki Nakuru.

"One of these days, you'll think twice before challenging a guardian, kid," Kero commented humorously as he landed on Sakura's shoulder.

"Are you okay, Syao-kun?" Sakura asked, grabbing her boyfriend's hand.

"I'm fine," Syaoran responded weakly. His cheeks heated up in embarrassment that his girlfriend had seen him get trounced by another girl, guardian or not.

The room was tense until Tomoyo broke the silence. "Even if Akizuki-san didn't see the magician outside the hotel, it would probably not be a good idea to remain here. It may not be safe, anymore."

"Tomoyo-chan is right," Sakura said supportively. "But where will we go?"

"Hotels are scarce for some reason," Syaoran informed them. "That's why Kinomoto-san and I were staying here. There weren't any other rooms."

"When we were out just now, we couldn't find any hotels with multiple openings," Nakuru added, confirming Syaoran's point.

This left them all at a loss. Probably, if Eriol had cared enough to follow their conversation closely, he could have suggested something, but he was distracted by his thoughts. He was very upset with himself for losing control - again - and quite possibly leading his stalker straight to them.

"Excuse me," he said suddenly, standing from his chair. He didn't even realize that he'd cut Sakura off in the middle of a sentence. He disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself. He was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and he needed space to regroup. He closed the lid on the toilet and sat down. He placed his glasses on the bathroom counter before burying his face in his hands. He tried to meditate - to clear his mind and calm his body.

"Eriol-kun?" Sakura questioned in a small voice once the bathroom door closed.

"Sweetie?" Nakuru called after him, the endearment in English. She started to rise to follow him, but Tomoyo stopped her.

"Please, Akizuki-san, give him a few minutes." Nakuru grudgingly agreed and sat down heavily in the seat her master had just vacated. Spinel Sun flew over to land in her lap.

"He is quite distressed," the panther guardian stated in Japanese. Even Kero bit his lower lip and eyed the bathroom door warily.

When enough time had passed for it to be obvious that the English teen was not simply relieving himself, Tomoyo offered to check on him. She knocked softly on the bathroom door but received no answer. Calling his name didn't garner a response either, so she bravely tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.

She slipped inside and closed the door behind herself. Eriol didn't look up at her from his seat on the closed toilet, which gave Tomoyo a few seconds to observe him and try to determine his mood. It was almost scary to see him like this. Eriol was the tallest of their foursome, the most athletic (though Syaoran was a very close second), the most level-headed, the most experienced, and the one with the most control. Now, he looked very small and a bit lost.

She gently cleared her throat. Eriol's hands came down to rest in his lap but he didn't look up at her. "I'm fine," he told her in a strained voice.

"You look fine," she replied wryly, opting for frankness. Sometimes it was the best way to get through to the boy who pretended to be a man. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bathtub. Her knees almost touched his. "What are you thinking about, Eriol-kun?"

"I was trying not to think about anything," he answered, finally looking up and quirking an eyebrow at her. She could easily tell that he had one of his masks in place.

"That isn't helpful," she sighed. "Eriol-kun, talk to me." She reached over and took one of his hands between her own. She was grateful that he wasn't shocking people anymore. He looked away and remained silent, but he didn't pull his hand away. "Eriol-kun, you've been attacked twice in less than twenty-four hours, not slept in longer than that except for a sleep so deep you were practically unconscious. Every time someone touches you, you both get a horrible shock. After this afternoon, it's almost definite that the magician knows where we are in Hong Kong. You know all these things, so you must think something."

Slowly, he turned his head to look at her. For the first time since they'd met in fifth grade, she was able to look into his unguarded eyes. She summoned all of her inner courage and tried to convey comfort and trust through her own violet eyes.

Eriol didn't want to talk to anyone, but Tomoyo was nearly impossible to resist. He hadn't been able to resist her the night before after the strange dark figures had attacked her house and he felt his ability to resist now slipping. Tomoyo was someone he could possibly tell his true feelings to without offending her. She was not easily hurt by others' feelings. Suddenly, Eriol wanted to tell her how fearful he was. He wanted her sympathy and for her to tell him empty, meaningless words that would comfort him for the moment but be gone as soon as they left the bathroom. Really, he didn't want to be alone anymore.

"Tell me," she practically whispered, leaning in close to him.

"I hate…" he started, adverting his eyes to look at his own lap, where her hands still held one of his. "I hate feeling like I don't know what to do or where to turn to next. Having those around me in the crossfire isn't making the decisions any easier to make, either."

"You're not thinking about going off on your own again, are you?" she asked suspiciously. His lack of answer served to act as a confirmation to her. She grew angry. "We've already talked about this, Eriol-kun," she snapped. In the face of her anger instead of sympathy, Eriol stuttered defensively.

"At least hear me out!"

"I know what you're thinking," she interrupted. "Everyone will be left alone once you're out of the picture. But leaving yourself vulnerable isn't going to solve anything, Eriol." The lack of honorific caused the boy to clench his jaw in frustration. "Do you honestly think he's going to be happy when he's captured you? He'll figure out about Sakura-chan and her father and go after them, too. And don't think he'd just mercifully kill you if he catches you. It's quite obvious that he intends to play with you and he won't be done until his sick intentions are fulfilled."

Eriol's face grew a shade paler for every sentence that the Japanese girl spoke. "Listen, I don't _want_ to be caught," he assured her. "But really, is living like this worth it? You people are following me around the world when you have your own lives to live. I wish I had thought more thoroughly before coming to Tomoeda."

"We want to help you, Eriol-kun. You are worth the risks."

"I'm not!" Eriol had never raised his voice in frustration in front of his Japanese friends before, so it startled Tomoyo a bit. Fortunately, she recovered and jumped after him as he stood from his seat and peered into the mirror, clenching the edge of the sink with white fingers. "All I was created for was to help Sakura-chan change the cards. Clow doesn't need me anymore. Sakura-chan is fine on her own now, with plenty of people to guide her. Her father could tell her anything that I could have. My purpose has run its course here, so it's better if I leave you people in peace."

"That's not true!" Tomoyo argued as tears fell down her porcelain cheeks. "You weren't created, you were born and you just happened to be a reincarnation of a powerful magician. Yes, Clow-sama wanted you to help his magical heir, but now that that's done, you can just be Eriol-kun. Our friend, who we want to stay close by." She covered her mouth with a hand as she tried to control her sobs.

"Please don't cry, Tomoyo-chan," Eriol begged, feeling his own eyes become glassy. Now he just felt even worse. The urge to run welled in his chest. This was probably how Syaoran felt when confronted with his emotions.

"Don't think you aren't worth my tears," she sniffled. In a very un-Tomoyo-like gesture, she wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her face in his shoulder. He awkwardly hugged her back.

"I'm very sorry, Tomoyo-chan. I don't know what else to do. He follows me everywhere I go, no matter how short of notice I have in travel plans and he doesn't bother to leave other people out of the mess."

Tomoyo pulled away slightly so she could see his face. "Then stop running, Eriol-kun. Fight back. With our help."

As simple as it was, Eriol hadn't thought of that. He'd assumed that with only half of Clow's power, he wasn't strong enough to fight back anymore, so he'd just keep moving to divert the madman away from his friends. Today had been evidence in the other direction about the amount of power he still possessed. His aura had been strong enough for Tomoyo to see and that said a lot for him.

"Okay," he agreed. He was terribly scared, more for his friends than for himself, and he didn't know where to start or what he could possibly do, but he would fight back for Tomoyo's sake. He never wanted to see her cry over him again.

She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Eh…" Eriol struggled to get his tongue functioning again. "You're not the first angry female I've run into." She laughed tearfully and hugged him again.

There was a knock on the door and Sakura's worried voice. "Are you okay? We heard raised voices."

"We're fine, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo called back. "We'll be out in a minute."

"Um, okay," she replied doubtfully. Eriol sensed her presence moving away from the door and nodded to Tomoyo that the coast was clear. They pulled apart from each other. Tomoyo found a clean washcloth and wetted it with warm water.

"Li-kun will be very unhappy if he thinks you made me cry," she said in explanation for her actions.

"He doesn't scare me," Eriol told her.

"Yes, but it makes Sakura-chan upset when her boyfriend is angry," Tomoyo reasoned. Eriol expected her to use the cloth to wipe her own face, so he was surprised when she pounced on him with it. "It should help with your headache."

"I don't have a headache," he replied, trying not to react to how close she was and how wonderful it felt to have her doting on him. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her anymore. Fortunately, she misinterpreted the action.

"Of course you do, what with all the stress you're under. Are you tired again, Eriol-kun?"

"Mm," he responded, non-committal.

"You should sleep again, then," she suggested. Eriol opened his eyes at that.

"I don't dare, Tomoyo-chan. I don't want to draw this man to us again."

"Maybe if you sleep now, you won't be as tired the next time you sleep, so your aura won't slip. Sakura-chan can use Shield again, if you're worried."

"We'll see," he sighed. Tomoyo gave him a Look which he had to turn away from or else he'd immediately agree to do whatever she demanded of him.

She quickly splashed her own face with cold water and dried it with a hand towel. "I think we are presentable now. Shall we return to the main room?"

"We have to eventually."

Bravely, they opened the door and faced their friends together.

tbc...

Thanks for reading. Reviews and constructive criticism most welcome.


	10. Chapter 10

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Once again, thank you reviewers! You guys are so kind and so smart. I'm really glad that people seem to like Eriol's characterization and how the plot is going.

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Is everyone okay?" Fujitaka asked as he hurried through the door to the hotel room. He was partially relieved to see five intact beings and two miniature cat guardians all looking up at him in surprise.

"We're fine now, Otou-san," Sakura answered.

"What happened?" he asked, immediately looking towards the other half of his reincarnation. He unconsciously pressed the palm of his hand to Eriol's forehead. The English boy shied away from the touch so Fujitaka found a seat next to his daughter. Touya and Yukito leaned against the wall.

"Hiiragizawa-kun lost his control of his aura while sleeping," Syaoran explained with a dark look towards the other boy. He was still sore about being shocked.

"It's because he was so exhausted," Sakura piped up in his defense. Eriol gave her a grateful smile while Tomoyo pinched Syaoran in the arm. This caused the Chinese boy to look a little repentant, at least.

"This causes a problem. It's almost certain that whoever is following Eriol-kun was able to pinpoint our location. It isn't safe for anyone to stay in this room tonight," Tomoyo said, summarizing the group's earlier discussion.

"We didn't find any hotels while we were out," Fujitaka said with a sigh.

"We could stay with the Lis," Eriol suggested, swinging out his leg to gently kick Syaoran in the shin. He didn't think his descendent was very cute at the moment. Syaoran predictably scowled and tried to retaliate, but Tomoyo held fast to the back of his shirt.

"I'm disowned, remember?" Syaoran snapped when he couldn't physically attack his tormentor.

"Yes, but Kinomoto-sensei and I are ancestors to your whole family. So you can stay somewhere else and we'll stay with your mother." Most of the people in the room looked stunned to hear Eriol's biting tone and unkind words, especially to Syaoran whom he usually seemed to have a special fondness for, despite the boy's dislike of him. Tomoyo couldn't tell if Eriol was being serious or just trying to get a rise out of Syaoran. The Chinese boy was starting to turn an alarming shade of red. Sakura leaned against her father for safety as steam trickled from her boyfriend's ears.

"Stop it, you two," Fujitaka scolded, looking between the two teenagers as they stared angrily at each other. Anyone was prevented from saying something else when the hotel room phone began to ring. Fujitaka, being the renter of the room, rose to answer it.

"Kinomoto-san," Li Yelan said in a stern voice. "Why was I sensing Clow Reed's aura a few minutes ago? What are you doing?"

"We are trying to find a new hotel for tonight," the professor replied to her second question, squaring his shoulders and standing up straighter. He refused to be intimidated by this woman, no matter how scary she tried to sound over the phone.

"And broadcasting your existence to the whole city helped you?" Fujitaka hadn't thought that the Head of the Li Clan would be given to sarcasm, but then again, her son was…

"Actually, it didn't," he answered honestly. She was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"You may stay here. After all, you are the reincarnation of the great Clow Reed, our ancestor. Please tell Xiaolang that he has an audience with the elders tomorrow at noon."

"I will," Fujitaka replied, unable to hide all of the relief in his voice. He was glad that Syaoran would finally be able to argue his case and hopefully be reinstated in the Clan. Perhaps it would help the teenager to not act so miserable all of the time.

"I will send a car for you now," she said shortly. "Keep your aura under control!"

"Yes, madam." Fujitaka put the phone back in its cradle and turned to face his expectant audience. "Syaoran-kun, you have a meeting tomorrow at noon with the elders," he reported. Sakura squealed and hugged her boyfriend happily. She was sure that he would have no trouble explaining the mix-up and resuming his rightful place. "Li-san offered for all of us to stay with her tonight." Eriol shot a smug I-told-you-so look at his descendent.

"Does she know how many of us there are?" Touya asked skeptically.

"She has a ballpark idea," Fujitaka replied. "We should leave, since this hotel is unsafe now. Stop smirking, Hiiragizawa-san," he scolded. "She yelled at me for letting my aura loose." Eriol managed to look a little sorry.

"Does this mean that we get to meet Li-kun's sisters again?" Tomoyo asked innocently. Touya and Yukito immediately looked terrified while Nakuru looked intrigued.

The group packed up what they had in the hotel room and prepared to meet the car that would transport them to the Li estate. Touya grudgingly helped Tomoyo with her over-stuffed luggage.

Fortunately the "car" was a limo, but that didn't mean ample trunk space. Sakura bit her lip in consternation as she debated whether or not to use her magic. After looking at the full trunk and the multiple suitcases still waiting on the curb, she darted back into the hotel and into the restroom. Since it was empty, she could pull out her key and summon Small. After the card had worked its magic the suitcases fit perfectly in the trunk.

It was still a tight squeeze inside the car. Sakura ended up sitting on her brother's lap to save room, a position that Nakuru was slightly jealous of. The limousine slowly pulled away from the curb and started the long journey across town and away from the city to where the Li estate was located.

"How far is it from here?" Tomoyo asked.

"Quite a ways and with traffic here, it might take a while," Syaoran answered her. He was in much better spirits since learning that he was meeting with the elders the next day. He was in such good spirits that he leaned over to address Eriol, who was leaning against Nakuru's shoulder with his eyes closed.

"Hiiragizawa-kun."

"I'm sleeping," Eriol answered without opening his eyes. He really didn't feel like dealing with his descendent's cutting remarks and dark looks. Maybe when he was feeling better they could play again.

Syaoran pressed on, undaunted. "Did Clow ever bury someone alive?"

"Don't bother me," Eriol snapped, sure that Syaoran was just trying to make him feel bad again. Syaoran frowned and looked to Fujitaka for help. The professor shrugged and gave him a look that clearly read "this is why you should be nicer to him."

"I'm serious, E-Eriol-kun," Syaoran insisted. The first name address caused Eriol to crack at least one eye open to see his descendent with.

"No, he didn't," Eriol answered civilly.

"You don't have any memories of a tomb with runes and an angry man yelling at you in a foreign language before closing the door on him?"

Eriol sat up and thought for a minute before replying. "No… why do you ask?"

"When Kinomoto-san and I were at the university a couple of days ago, this professor, Yi Liang, had a memory card of Clow's. I was able to see the memory."

"What was it?" Eriol questioned with greater interest.

"Like I said, a man in a tomb with runes yelling at Clow before the tomb closed. I couldn't understand the words: they weren't in Chinese or Japanese," Syaoran replied.

"I don't remember that. I don't even remember making memory cards," Eriol said thoughtfully. "Are you sure it was Clow's."

"Yes. It had Clow's magic circle on the back. Plus, only a family member with great magical power can see someone else's memory card. Clow is the only person in my family who would have made memory cards."

"Well, the memory is probably in English," Eriol surmised. "Clow only knew three languages fluently, though he dabbled in many others."

"You should try to see the memory, Eriol-kun," Nakuru stated. "If it is in English, you'd be able to understand."

"I held the card and I wasn't drawn into the memory," Fujitaka said. "Anything that would link Hiiragizawa-san to the card would also have let me see the memory."

"I think I'd like to see this card, anyway," Eriol decided. "Kinomoto-sensei, could you schedule another meeting with this Yi Liang-sensei?"

"I'm sure that I could," Fujitaka answered doubtfully. "I will try to call him after Syaoran-kun's meeting tomorrow."

"Make sure to tell him who you really are," Syaoran teased. "I'm sure he'd find you a lot more interesting than me."

"I don't think he'd find a simple Englishman more interesting that the heir of the Li Clan," Eriol retorted. It was evident to all that his patient tone was forced. Instead of being insulted, Syaoran stared at the other boy curiously. What had brought on that reaction?

Only Tomoyo really understood why that comment had upset Eriol. She offered him support silently. Eriol tilted his head slightly in thanks.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, looking between her best friend and mentor.

"I'll tell you later," Tomoyo promised. It was quiet in the limousine after that.

* * *

Li Yelan and her four daughters greeted the travelers at the main entrance to the estate. As the group tumbled out of the limousine like clowns from a Volkswagen, Syaoran's sisters looked more and more excited. They were looking forward to seeing the adorable Sakura and Tomoyo again, being reunited with their estranged little brother, and being able to hang on the cute Touya and Yukito. Their curiosity was piqued as Fujitaka and two strangers also emerged from the interior of the luxury vehicle.

"Welcome," said Yelan succinctly in perfect Japanese. "Please, come inside." Even in Hong Kong, it was too chilly to remain outside.

Once they were inside, they were shown to their rooms. Sakura and Tomoyo would share the same room again, as well as Touya and Yukito. Nakuru piped up, saying that she wouldn't mind sharing a room with her "younger brother." Yelan paused at this, but then conceded. Fujitaka was given his own room near Sakura's. Having shown all of the guests to their sleeping quarters, Yelan excused herself, leaving the duties of hostess to her daughters.

"Xiaolang, a word," she said calmly before completely exiting the room. Syaoran obediently followed his mother from the room, wondering what she wanted from him. He'd never been disowned before, so he wasn't sure how it worked. He was pretty sure, however, that having him stay here tonight was against the clan rules. Perhaps she was going to send him away again?

She entered her private study and took a seat in her high wingback chair. "Close the door," she told him. Syaoran made sure the heavy teak doors were completely latched before turning back to face his mother. "Come here." Timidly, he approached her chair. As soon as he was close enough to touch, she reached out and caught his elbow, practically pulling him into her lap. She hugged him tightly as he scrambled to balance in his awkward position. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall to the floor, he relaxed.

Yelan closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the back of her son's head which rested on her shoulder. She had worried that disowning her son wouldn't be enough to break the spell and she would lose him forever, instead of just temporarily. It had been a nearly suffocating fear that she had borne in solitude, letting not even her daughters see her terror at the thought of losing her only son. It had nothing to do with Syaoran's role as heir to the Clan and his importance to their family. It only mattered that he was hers and she wasn't giving him up so easily.

She had not yet gotten her fill of holding her son close when another door to her study burst open with a loud bang. An enraged fourteen-year old girl stormed in, her black pigtails trailing behind her. After her, a servant limped in, looking frustrated and terrified. Syaoran jerked his head up at the commotion to see what was going on. He barely had time to process the situation before his cousin was in his face.

"Meiling!" Yelan scolded.

"I don't care what you say, Auntie. I've waited long enough to see Xiaolang for myself," Meiling stated rebelliously.

"Hi Meiling," Syaoran greeted, still stunned by her entrance.

"Xiaolang!" She threw her arms around his neck and he thought he was going to be pulled apart, between her hold on his neck and his mother's arms around his waist. Fortunately, Meiling let go after a second. "The whole time, they wouldn't let me call you or go see you or anything!" she complained bitterly.

"You know the Clan rules, Meiling," Yelan reminded her impatiently.

"I do know them, Auntie," Meiling replied. "And if you're allowed to break them, why can't I?" She raised one eyebrow skeptically at the older woman. They all knew that Syaoran shouldn't be there right now.

"Because I am the Clan head," Yelan answered, narrowing her eyes at her niece. Meiling was not intimidated and stared back. Finally, Yelan relented, not wanting to demean herself by arguing with a child. She was proud of her niece's strong spirit, but sometimes it was extremely irksome.

"So who all came with you?" Meiling asked her cousin, content that she had won for now.

"Sakura and her whole family, Daidouji, Yukito, and Hiiragizawa."

"Hiiragizawa is here?" exclaimed the Chinese girl. Syaoran nodded in confirmation.

"Who is this Hiiragizawa Eriol and the magical being who claims to be his older sister?" Yelan questioned.

"He went to school with Xiaolang and Ying Fa in Japan for a bit. He's originally from England," Meiling explained briefly. "I don't know why he was in Japan again, though."

Syaoran knew that Eriol had completely hidden his aura since they had arrived here, though nothing could be done about Nakuru. She had the same type of aura as Yukito, which Touya had found so easy to detect. Of course, Yelan would also be able to sense it. To Yelan, Eriol seemed like an ordinary boy with a magical being following him around.

"Does he know that this girl who claims to be his sister is not human?" Yelan asked. She was suspicious there was more to this boy than met the eye, but Meiling was a very convincing liar. This made her all the more suspicious since it was the girl answering her questions instead of her son.

"How should I know? I've only met him once and not the girl."

The door to the study opened again, this time admitting three of Syaoran's four sisters. Fuutie had been left behind with the guests against her wishes, but her sisters argued that she was the oldest and also that she had seen Syaoran the most recently.

Li Yelan gave up on the idea that she would have any more private time with her son so she gave him into the clutches of his sisters and cousin. She went to assist Fuutie in dealing with their guests.

* * *

It was four o'clock in the morning when Eriol awoke in the strange room with Nakuru wrapped around him like a leech. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but by the time he found his glasses on the stand beside the bed, he remembered retiring earlier that afternoon in hopes of sleeping in peace for once. He wasn't sure when Nakuru and Spinel had entered the room. He carefully freed himself from Nakuru's protective hold and slipped from the bed. When the older "girl" started to stir, he gently cupped her cheek and whispered for her to remain asleep. He didn't use any magic to calm her: he didn't want to alert Syaoran's family to who he really was yet. He hoped that his anonymity would allow him to find what he was looking for without being pestered.

He pulled on the housecoat and slippers that were his to use while staying with the Lis and exited the room. Using Clow's memories as a guide, he made his way down the dark corridors towards the library. Once inside the room he found a small oil lamp that he could use to explore the room with without having to turn on all the lights.

It took him nearly half an hour to find what he was looking for. In one of the back corners of the room were a collection of handwritten books, the faded pages bound in cracked leather. Eriol brushed his fingertips over the spine of one of the books. It resonated with the impression of Clow Reed's magic. Still not wanting to attract anyone else to the library by using magic, Eriol pulled the delicate book off of the shelf and flipped it open to see what it was. It appeared to be a journal. From the date of the first entry he found that it was too near to the end of Clow's life to hold the answers he sought. He replaced it and pulled out a similar book that was a few places over. In the middle of the book, he found a promising entry.

Eriol carried the book over to a wooden table. He set the lamp on the table so he could read the inked words and pulled up a padded chair. He found the page that interested him again and scanned the words for information on whoever was stalking him. Near the bottom of the page he found a name. He traced his finger carefully over the western letters. Most of the entry was written in Cantonese, but the name was in English. The name stood out to Eriol since this was the first time he had ever heard it. It was not part of his memories though clearly part of Clow's. Had Clow purposefully kept this memory from him, like whatever memory was on the card that the university professor had?

Eriol stood up and moved around the table. He completed a full circuit and looked critically at the book again, searching Clow's memories for the words that he needed to complete the spell. It wasn't a very intricate spell and he could probably do it without his staff. Once he was fairly certain that he could correctly recall the words, he set about casting a different spell, first.

The magic he wove was a spell of concealment and therefore created very little magical rift itself. As long as he or she was asleep, even the most powerful magician wouldn't sense its casting. Once he had set four points around the table, he raised his arms and mumbled the last line of the spell. With a barely audible hiss, four walls of translucent red shot up from the floor between the points, enclosing the reincarnation within a magical box. Once the red walls had reached the ceiling, they glittered for a moment and then went completely invisible to the naked eye. Now whatever other spell Eriol cast within the protective box would not be able to be sensed, nor would any be able to cross through the walls to interrupt him. Even his guardians would be kept at bay. Eriol hoped to be done with his research before anyone found him.

He took his seat at the table again. He took a deep breath and started the next spell, one that would take much more energy, magic, and concentration than the last. At the correct moment during the spell, he pressed his index finger to the name in the book again and closed his eyes. He didn't even feel himself slumping forward as the back of his eyelids came alive with a frantic flurry of images.

tbc...

Please let me know what you think! Eriol is starting to act like my kitten, just going around_ looking_ for trouble.


	11. Chapter 11

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

As always, thank you reviewers!

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Fujitaka was used to waking early. At seven in the morning, he found himself unable to sleep anymore so he slipped out of bed and found his slippers. Before preparing for the day, he decided to check on his daughter. Rationally, he knew that she had to be fine, but all this mess with Clow Reed recently made him want to look in on her, anyway. Something within him seemed uneasy but when he focused on it, it didn't have anything to do with Sakura or Touya. Still, he exited his room and went to the next one. He silently peeked his head in.

Both Sakura and Tomoyo were still sleeping soundly. Neither looked distressed in any way so Fujitaka told himself that they were fine. He watched his daughter sleep for a minute longer before pulling out of the room and closing the door carefully. He was about to return to his own room to change into day clothes when he noticed Nakuru running towards him.

"Kinomoto-san!" she exclaimed upon seeing him.

"What is it?" he asked, instantly concerned.

"You must come quickly!" she urged. "Hurry, this way!" She didn't give him another chance to question her as she turned and ran back the way she came. He didn't know where they were going until the guardian lead him to a room outside of which Li Yelan was calmly standing.

"What is going on?" Fujitaka questioned his hostess after Nakuru had darted through the door behind Yelan.

"You did not tell me that the boy you brought with you from England was also a reincarnation of the great Clow Reed," she stated instead of answering his question. Fujitaka wondered how to respond to that. It was true that he had purposefully withheld that information from her. Eriol hadn't wanted to alert the whole Clan to who he was and when even Syaoran had agreed to keep the subject quiet, Fujitaka had figured there was some merit to Eriol's want for secrecy. It seemed that Yelan had figured it out anyway.

Yelan saved him from answering. "It makes much sense. You never seemed complete as a reincarnation, Kinomoto-san. Hardly any of Clow's memories and only half of his magic… Clow was powerful indeed to be able to split his soul and magic into two."

"No, Sakura split his magic between us once she became Mistress of the Sakura Cards," Fujitaka corrected absently. "I apologize for our duplicity, Li-san, but please tell me, how did you discover his identity?"

"I am tempted to deny you answers until my own questions are answered," she said evenly. "However, currently the boy reincarnation sleeps within my library, on top of a rather precious book that I would like to not see damaged," she explained. She turned and entered the room Nakuru had run into. Fujitaka followed her curiously. Why was he needed? Surely Ruby Moon and the much more powerful Li Yelan could awaken the boy.

Inside, Ruby Moon stood a few feet away from a wooden table. She had assumed her true form after finding the older man. Spinel Sun was also there, though still in his small form. Ruby Moon had her hands held up in front of her like she was miming a wall, though there was nothing before her.

Syaoran, having discovered the situation taking place in the library, slipped into the room and came to stand next to his mother. "What's going on?" he asked, his sharp eyes immediately noticing everyone's strange behavior.

"Look closer," Yelan prompted Fujitaka, ignoring her son for the moment. Fujitaka glanced sideways at her before looking towards the frustrated guardian again. He peered into the empty space between where he stood and where he could see Eriol slumped over the table. His vision shifted like it did when he was looking at other people's auras. He made a small sound of surprise when he could see that Ruby Moon was no longer pressing against air, but a translucent red wall made up of the essence of Clow's magic. "This is how I found out that he also uses Clow's magic," Yelan said softly.

"He set up wards?" Fujitaka guessed. "Why?"

"It is you who shares half of the same soul, Kinomoto-san. We were hoping you could tell us," she replied with a mysterious smile.

"I don't know anything about magic," Fujitaka told her. "I… I haven't really used it since gaining it. I can see auras, but I've never been able to use the magic like Hiiragizawa can."

"A pity, since you have much magic," Yelan tsked. "He came here looking for answers, though to what I do not know. That book he sleeps over is a journal of Clow Reed. Xiaolang told me about the memory card of your colleague. Evidently Clow had some memories he did not want to pass down, even to his reincarnations. Since it was the boy's goal to keep his identity a secret, he set the wards to shield any other spell he would cast within their confines. These wards prevent anyone from crossing their boundaries or from sensing what is going on inside." Fujitaka realized that was why the clearly upset Ruby Moon was keeping her distance - she could not reach Eriol even if she wanted to.

"I still do not know how I can help," Fujitaka sighed. He was starting to think that he should learn more about his magic and how to use it. Until now he had been happy with simply being able to see people's auras and his beautiful wife's spirit.

"A magician, no matter how powerful, cannot cast a spell against his own magic. That is probably why Ying Fa had to halve the magic for you. Therefore, you should be able to cross the boundary and bring him out of there. Once that which the wards are protecting leaves their confines, the spell is broken. Then we will be able to determine what holds him down in sleep."

"Please," Ruby Moon beseeched him. "Break this spell."

"I… I will try," Fujitaka promised. Even though Yelan's knowledge of magic seemed to make sense, he still doubted that he would be able to do anything against a spell set by the powerful boy. He walked up to the wall and peered through the redness to where Eriol's still form was hunched over the table. This close, he could see why Ruby Moon, Spinel Sun, and Yelan seemed so concerned. Eriol's face was pale and his lips tinged with blue. For a moment, Fujitaka feared that the boy wasn't even breathing, but of course that would have also canceled the spell.

After taking a deep breath, Fujitaka stepped forward and entered the protected area of the wards. He could hear Ruby Moon give a strangled cry of relief. "Bring him out," he saw her say, but he could not hear the words.

Fujitaka approached the teenager slowly and leaned over him. He was breathing. Fujitaka reached down to take Eriol's right hand in his own when he noticed that despite the limpness of the appendage, Eriol's index finger was still covering part of a name written in English. "You're looking for the name of your tormentor, aren't you?" he questioned softly, his heart aching for the English boy. Carefully, he pulled Eriol's hand off the page. As soon as his finger lost contact with the inked name, color flooded back into Eriol's face and lips and he shuddered, though his eyes remained closed.

Eriol's state reminded him much of what had happened to Syaoran when he held the memory card. He glanced through the translucent red wall to where Syaoran was waiting next to his mother. Would it also take Eriol hours to awake? Had he known this would happen? Gently Fujitaka shifted Eriol out of his chair so he could lift the limp form. Despite being slightly taller than Syaoran, the English boy didn't weigh any more. Fujitaka cradled the other half of his soul against his chest and confidently stepped through the perimeter again. Eriol let out small sigh as that spell was broken and his eyes fluttered open. Ruby Moon was instantly at his side, checking on her master for herself.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Ruby Moon demanded, as if it was possible for her to suffer from that mortal ailment.

"Ah, no," Eriol replied hesitantly. He glanced around the room, trying to get his bearings. Quickly, he remembered where he was and what he had been doing. He also realized that he was being held by Sakura's father. "You can put me down, Kinomoto-san," he said. The older man complied, setting the English boy on his feet.

"Hiiragizawa Eriol," Li Yelan said, eying the boy critically. "You are the other half of Clow Reed's reincarnation. There is much-"

"Perhaps you should allow him to recover, Mother," Syaoran spoke up, earning himself a grateful look from the other teenager. Syaoran was surprised at himself. Usually the idea of Eriol being interrogated to death by his mother helped keep the Chinese boy sane when Eriol was annoying him.

"I am hungry," Eriol lied effortlessly. Truthfully, the thought of food made his stomach turn but even more than that the idea of being grilled by Li Yelan made his stomach _and_ head ache.

"I suppose we should have breakfast, then," Yelan conceded though her displeasure at being denied was evident. She lead the way out of the room.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Fujitaka asked quietly as they walked down the narrow hallway. On Eriol's other side, Syaoran leaned in curiously to hear the answer.

"Yes," Eriol answered. "I need to talk to Yue-san and Kerberos-san."

"What about Yue?" The three males turned to see Yukito smiling widely at them. "Where are you all headed to?"

"Breakfast," Syaoran responded eagerly. He knew that Yukito would like that.

"Perfect," the college student said with a wide grin. "I will get Touya-kun up and we'll join you." He paused as he looked between the two teenagers and in a rare moment of insight, he asked, "Are you okay, Eriol-kun?"

"Yes," Eriol replied defensively, giving the false guardian a funny look.

"Oh. I guess… never mind." He shrugged and then smiled. "We'll see you in a few minutes." He slipped back into the room he was sharing with Touya.

"Er, maybe Yue-san noticed something," Syaoran suggested.

"What is there to notice?" Eriol questioned. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Nakuru-chan, do I look like something is wrong?"

"You just look a little pale," Fujitaka stated to calm the teenager. He prodded the English boy to get him moving towards the dining room again.

"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked in Cantonese. He kept his voice low so his mother wouldn't overhear, but the others in their group didn't understand the language well enough to listen to their conversation.

"What?" Eriol questioned in the same language, glancing sideways at his descendent.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes to give Eriol dark look. "I know you better than I would ever want to, Hiiragizawa. Why are you acting so weird about people asking you if you're okay?"

"You don't know me very well at all, _Li_," Eriol argued.

"That reminds me," Syaoran changed the subject, since Eriol was avoiding it anyway. "Why are you suddenly so upset about being referred to as Clow?"

"I'm not suddenly upset about it," Eriol informed him. He glared at the ground in front of his feet so he wouldn't have to look at his descendent. Syaoran was alarmingly good at reading people.

"For how long then? You seemed pretty smug about it the last time you were in Japan."

_Damn it_, Eriol mentally cursed. Anyone else would have focused on the "not upset" part and totally missed the suddenly adverb. Not Syaoran, though. "Since everything," Eriol replied evasively.

"What? The changing of the Sakura Cards or the crazy Clow nemesis?"

"You don't even care," Eriol accused him. Syaoran caught his arm and swung him around so Eriol had to meet his gaze.

"I do care," Syaoran said forcefully.

"Hey, what's going on?" Fujitaka asked, stepping up to separate the two boys in case their discussion became more heated. Nakuru hovered protectively behind her master.

"Nothing," Eriol replied, not taking his eyes off the other teenager. Neither Fujitaka nor Nakuru looked convinced. They reached the dining room at that point so the subject was dropped. Nakuru decided that she needed to learn Cantonese as soon as possible so that bratty Li heir couldn't pester her master anymore without her knowledge. She'd ask Suppi to help her when they had a free moment.

Syaoran left Eriol alone after that, though he kept shooting distrustful looks at the reincarnation throughout the meal. Eriol was eternally grateful when Yukito, Touya, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Syaoran's four sisters showed up to eat the first meal of the day as well. Sakura did a good job distracting her boyfriend and Tomoyo was kind enough to not bother him, even after noticing that he was still in his pajamas.

"Are you worried to face the elders?" Sakura asked the Chinese boy. Her emerald eyes were wide with nervousness for her most precious person.

"Um, not really," Syaoran answered. His ears turned red.

"I'm sure you'll be able to convince them to give you your magic back!" she insisted. "Everything will be all right."

"Yeah," he agreed, looking fondly at her.

"Sakura-san," Yelan spoke up from the head of the table. "Would you attend the hearing as well? Your input would be valuable as the Mistress of the once-Clow Cards."

"What?" the couple exclaimed together.

"I don't know much about this sort of thing," Sakura said anxiously. She didn't want to say something that would cause her boyfriend to lose his inheritance and magic permanently.

"You will be fine," Yelan assured her. "This is a closed session, but as reincarnations of our greatest ancestor, you may attend as well," she offered to Fujitaka and Eriol.

"Thank you, but I will decline," Eriol responded immediately. "I would like to do more research, if you do not mind."

"You cannot avoid me forever, Hiiragizawa Eriol," Yelan said gravely. Eriol was not intimidated and returned a stare that clearly read, _I'm going to try_.

"Hoe? Are you in trouble, Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked fearfully. She was certainly intimidated by the older woman, even though Yelan had made it clear that she approved of the young Japanese girl.

"No," Eriol said kindly, smiling at his successor.

"As the reincarnation of Clow Reed, our greatest ancestor, I do not think it too much to ask that you speak with the current head of your family," Yelan scolded.

"I cannot imagine what I could possibly tell you that you don't already know," Eriol countered.

"Why did you desert your responsibilities and hide in Japan until the end of your days?" she said as an example. "Why did you decide to reincarnate into two separate people? What was my son's role in all of your plotting?" Her last question definitely had a sharp edge to it.

"Excuse me," Eriol said, standing from his seat quickly. The legs of the chair scraped over the wood flooring. "Thank you for the fine meal." He stormed from the room, his plate of breakfast food untouched.

"I think that was a little much, mother," Syaoran said softly, standing from his seat as well. He left the room as well, leaving through the same door that Eriol had. Nakuru made to follow them as well, but Fujitaka caught her arm.

"Give them a few minutes," he whispered.

Yelan seemed unfazed by the result of her questioning. She turned to Fujitaka. "Will you join us, Kinomoto-san?" The Japanese man swallowed nervously under her intense stare.

* * *

"Eriol, wait!" Syaoran called in Cantonese after the fleeing teenager. Eriol ignored him. "Listen to me!" Syaoran pleaded, taking a few steps at a run so he could be at the other's side instead of behind him. "I'm sorry for my mother."

"That's exactly why I didn't want anyone here to know that I'm a reincarnation," Eriol snapped.

"I didn't tell her. You let that one slip yourself," Syaoran answered defensively.

"I know! That's what is even more irritating about it," Eriol said through clenched teeth. "Please leave me alone."

"No. I want to finish our earlier conversation."

"Don't you have to get ready for your hearing?" Eriol reminded him.

"I have time," the slightly shorter boy dismissed the excuse. "Speaking of that, will you come?"

"No."

"Eriol!"

"If you're only calling me by my first name because you want something, I'd rather you just called me Hiiragizawa," Eriol rejoined angrily.

Syaoran growled. "You are impossible. I don't get you."

"Well, no one does," Eriol replied harshly. He opened the door to his room, entered, and slammed the door behind him, nearly taking Syaoran's nose off in the process. Syaoran, knowing he had to act quickly, forced the door back open before Eriol could cast a locking spell on it. He closed the door more calmly.

"I'll leave you alone right now if you promise to come to my hearing," Syaoran offered, warily approaching the bed that Eriol had flopped down on. He was well aware of the fact that the boy in front of him had a lot of magical power and he had none.

"I don't ever want to see anyone from your horrible family again," Eriol informed him. Syaoran decided not to be offended, since he knew personally how difficult certain members could be, especially the older ones. "In fact," he said with resolution, "I'm leaving, now." He slid off the bed and found his small carry-on suitcase. He tossed it onto the bed. "Excuse me, I'd like to change."

"Go ahead," Syaoran offered sarcastically. Eriol rolled his eyes before pulling his night shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor. He put on his only remaining clean shirt and starting searching for his jeans. "Where are you going to go? This is the only safe place in the city."

"I'm not going to hide forever," Eriol retorted. "Today is as good of a day as any to make my stand."

"Are you insane?" Syaoran demanded. "You don't know who or what you're up against and you're not really at your peak right now."

"I have a pretty good idea who I'm up against," Eriol muttered to himself in English. He forcefully shoved his belongings into his bag and zipped it shut.

"Please, listen to reason," Syaoran begged, ignoring Eriol's last comment since he couldn't understand it anyway. "You can't just waltz out into Hong Kong by yourself with that madman out there! Yes, you should fight back, but don't be stupid about it! What happened to all that rational advice you used to give me when we were in elementary?"

"I just want this to be over."

"I know. But we don't want you getting yourself killed in the process." Syaoran hoped that the English boy was starting to calm down. He glanced at the clock and realized that he was running out of time. "Look, Eriol, I know that even though you're mad at me right now, deep down inside you really do like me. It would mean a lot to me if you would come to the hearing."

"Did your mother put you up to this?" Eriol asked suspiciously. Syaoran mentally cheered. He was in the clear now. As long as Eriol was considering the idea, Syaoran knew he could talk him into it.

"No!" the Chinese boy insisted. "She can be surprised when you show up. Come because I want you there. Even though you currently have some _thing_ against Clow Reed - you're going to explain that to me later - you have his memories and therefore you know a lot about the Li family. Probably more than even my mother does. So, it would make me feel a lot better to have someone there who knew what was going on and was on my side," Syaoran explained.

"Your mother is on your side," Eriol pointed out.

"Fine, then I want an uninterested third-party."

"I am uninterested."

Syaoran mentally cursed his poor word choice. "That's not what I meant. Please come. It would mean a lot to me to have someone like you there." He could see that Eriol still wasn't one hundred percent convinced yet. He had to add more to the bargain. "While we're there, I'll make sure that no one bothers you and afterwards, I'll take you to visit that professor with the memory card."

"Kinomoto won't let us go," Eriol sighed.

"If he doesn't know, how can he stop us?" Eriol cracked a light smile at this. Syaoran knew he had won. "So you'll come?"

"I don't have anything appropriate to wear," Eriol realized.

"I'm sure I can figure something out. Stay here. I'll come find you at eleven-thirty." Syaoran hurried to the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned back to the English boy. "Thank you."

"You owe me like a million times," Eriol informed him seriously. Syaoran just smirked and slipped out of the room. He nearly ran into Tomoyo and Sakura who were waiting outside the door.

"Are you two okay?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Yeah. He still won't tell me everything that's going on, but he's going to come to my hearing this afternoon. Don't tell my mother."

"Sakura-chan, why don't you help Syaoran-kun prepare for the hearing. I would like to talk to Eriol-kun briefly."

"Will do," Sakura agreed.

"Good luck," Syaoran told her. "He's just as secretive as ever."

"Thank you, Li-kun," Tomoyo said sweetly. "You two better hurry!" The couple took off quickly down the hall towards Syaoran's room, making a short stop at Syaoran's oldest sister's room. Tomoyo knocked respectfully on Eriol's door. "May I come in, Eriol-kun?" she called through the wood.

"Fine," Eriol called back. Tomoyo was the only person who tried to understand him, so he thought he could tolerate her. Tomoyo entered to see the young sorcerer seated on the edge of his bed with his forehead resting in his palms.

"Syaoran told us that you decided to go to his hearing after all," she stated to open the conversation.

"Don't remind me," Eriol mumbled, still not looking up. Tomoyo walked up to the bed.

"Why is your suitcase packed?"

"I was going to leave but Syaoran managed to talk me into going to his stupid meeting instead."

"Eriol-kun," Tomoyo chided lightly. "What did we decide about throwing ourselves to the wolves?"

"Believe me, this magician is a kitten compared to some of the Li elders," Eriol mused. Tomoyo sat down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"I saw what you mean at breakfast. I was very surprised at how harshly Li-san spoke to you."

"I wasn't really. That is why I wanted to keep my identity a secret for as long as possible."

"How did she find out?"

"It was my own stupidity. I was trying to find any reference to this magician in Clow's journals, which are kept here and I must have fallen asleep in the middle of the spell. She found me in the library with the ward spell I had cast still intact. Of course, my magic is Clow's magic, so she realized who I was," he explained concisely.

"Now she wants to ask you a bunch of uncomfortable questions," Tomoyo added sympathetically. "You don't really need anything else to worry about."

"I really hate Clow Reed," Eriol claimed, his voice cracking slightly.

"No you don't," Tomoyo argued softly. She pulled his head down to her shoulder with one hand and wrapped her other arm around his back. Eriol hugged her in return, thinking idly that she smelled good. "Without Clow Reed, you wouldn't be Eriol-kun."

"I wouldn't miss me that much," Eriol objected.

"Don't be silly," Tomoyo reprimanded as she gently stroked his dark hair.

"I like you, Tomoyo-chan. You're the only one in the whole world who tries to understand me," Eriol confessed into the fabric of her shirt. She could barely hear him, but she did.

"I like you, too, Eriol-kun."

Eriol was sure that he could spend the rest of the day hiding in Tomoyo's comforting embrace but only a minute or two later there was another knock on the door. The two teenagers jumped apart just as the door opened to reveal a grinning Fuutie. Her arms were full of beautiful silk fabric.

"Are you ready to play dress-up, Hiiragizawa-kun?" she asked excitedly. "We have to get you ready for the hearing and Xiaolang told me that you didn't have anything appropriate to wear."

"Oh, what did you bring?" Tomoyo asked, instantly interested. She gripped Eriol's wrist tightly when he tried to bolt for the door.

"Tomoyo-chan, I'm not one of your dolls," Eriol whined, referring to Sakura and Syaoran.

"It's about time we changed that. There are just too many designs that don't match Syaoran-kun's build and complexion that would look so cute on you," she said with evil glee. Eriol gulped and tried to determine if she was serious or not. "Fuutie-san, where do we begin?"

The older girl eagerly joined the teenagers, mentally sizing the boy as she spread out her options on the bed.

_tbc..._

Please review and/or constructively criticize!


	12. Chapter 12

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Reviewers, I thank you. Please enjoy this next chapter.

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

The room where the hearing was to be held was dark and dusty. On three sides of the room were pew-like benches, three rows deep. These seats were filled with elders of the Li Clan. In one corner was a slightly raised platform with a wingback chair where sat the elder in charge of the proceedings, though there wasn't an actual judge. Yelan would have normally sat in that chair as the head of the Clan, but since it was her son being questioned she had to take a seat in the witness stands. In the center of the room was a slightly raised dais where Li Xiaolang stood, waiting nervously for the questioning to begin.

This was the second time Syaoran had stood on that dais, though the first time had been when he was given the sacred duty of collecting the Clow Cards and bringing them back to his Clan. That had been an exciting time. Now, the boy wasn't quite sure what to expect. Even though he knew that he had done nothing to deserve his being disinherited, many of the elders were his uncles or mother's cousins, who would much rather see their own sons as heir to the entire clan.

The elder in charge of the proceedings stood up at exactly noon and started the ceremonial proceedings. It was a big deal that the heir had been disowned, so much care had to be given to tradition in dealing with the situation. As the elder droned on in ancient Cantonese, Syaoran felt himself becoming more and more nervous. He glanced briefly over to where Sakura and Eriol were seated. Sakura gave him a very warm and supportive smile and simply exuded an aura of everything will be all right. Eriol, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and looked exceedingly bored. Syaoran forced himself not to smirk.

Just before entering the dark and dusty room, the three teenagers had met Yelan. The older Chinese woman had raised an eyebrow triumphantly when she saw the scowling reincarnation of Clow Reed. However, Syaoran pushed into the room, dragging Eriol with him, before she could comment on his presence after his adamant refusal during breakfast.

Inside the room, some of the elders had objected to the strange boy's presence at the closed hearing. Eriol, thinking it would be the perfect opportunity to get out of the whole charade without technically breaking his promise to Syaoran, opened his mouth to apologize and then flee. Yelan grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face the whole assembly before confidently telling everyone exactly who he was. It took almost all of Eriol's self control to not let his extreme anger at Syaoran's mother show on his face as more and more interested looks came his way.

Then, one of the elders had suggested that Eriol sit in the seat of highest honor since he was the reincarnation of their greatest ancestor. Eriol refused, saying, "I will sit with Ying Fa or nowhere." Unlike Yelan, the elders decided to honor the wishes of their greatest ancestor and allowed him to remain with the Card Mistress.

It did not escape Eriol's notice that Fujitaka was not in attendance.

"Li Yelan," boomed the elder in charge of the hearing. "As Clan Head, you disowned Li Xiaolang with no trial and no input from any of the older elders. What was your reason for this?"

The woman in question stood up confidently. "Li Xiaolang had been unknowingly put under a spell that progressively weakened him to the point of imminent death. He was very ill. Due to the fact that I did not learn of his illness until it was quite progressed, I had no choice but to break the spell by severing his blood link to Clow Reed." Eriol ignored her sharp glance in his direction. "I did it to save his life."

"Li Xiaolang, do you have anything to say to Li Yelan's account of what happened?"

"No. It is as she said," Syaoran replied seriously.

"Then why is it that you have asked for an audience with the elders?"

"I would like to be reinstated as the heir to the Li Clan now that the spell has been broken. It was nothing that I did wrong that resulted in my expulsion," he said confidently, reciting the words his mother had given him the night before.

"Then the elders shall retire to discuss your request. We will reconvene in fifteen minutes." At his words, all of the elders stood and shuffled out of their seats towards the door that would lead to the private discussion room.

"That's it?" Sakura asked incredulously in a low voice.

"This whole farce is ridiculous," Eriol told her. "They already know what they are going to do and like Syaoran said, he didn't do anything to deserve being disowned. They're putting him through this charade for no good reason."

"You really dislike the Lis, don't you, Eriol-kun?" Sakura's tone was full of worry. She loved Syaoran will all of her heart, but did she want to marry into his family?

"Most of them have good intentions. They're just bogged down in centuries of pointless tradition and ceremony. They are very proud. Do not worry, it is a good choice to marry Syaoran-kun. Just make sure to keep him from becoming as stuffy as these elders."

"I will."

"Besides," Eriol continued in a lighter tone, "the Reeds are just as bad. They're English." This caused Sakura to laugh lightly.

"What do you think will happen to Syaoran-kun?" she asked, serious again. She looked over to where her boyfriend was watching them, wishing that he could be a part of their conversation instead of standing alone in the middle of the daunting room.

"They won't just give everything back to him," Eriol answered. "They'll probably make him prove himself worthy of rejoining the clan by defeating whoever cast the spell on him or something."

"I know that Syaoran-kun can do it," Sakura said with determination.

"Hm," Eriol replied unenthusiastically. The problem was, if that was the case, both he and Syaoran would be trying to defeat the same magician, and only one of them could actually do that. It would take some serious thought as to how they could both come out victors.

The elders filed back into the room and took their seats again. The rest of the hearing played out almost exactly as Eriol had predicted. As Syaoran stood nervously on his dais, the elder presiding over the hearing stood to deliver the verdict. "Being disowned from the Clan is a serious matter, despite the reason behind it. Therefore, it is not within the elder's power to simply return all the rights and privileges to a disowned member. Li Xiaolang, you must prove yourself worthy of your claim to your title and the Li magic. To do this, you must defeat the one who cast this spell on you."

"I understand," Syaoran replied solemnly.

"Then this audience is adjourned," the elder declared. Syaoran bowed respectfully and then darted off the dais toward where his friends were sitting. Sakura stood up to throw her arms around his neck.

"This is good, isn't it?" she asked him.

"I think so," Syaoran replied. "Did you understand what was being said?"

"Eriol-kun helped," she explained. "This isn't what we hoped for, though." Her face saddened.

"It was predictable," Eriol put in his two cents. "Let's go." He was very aware of the hoard of Li elders who were headed their way.

"Okay," Syaoran agreed. It was time to uphold his end of the bargain and he didn't like the stuffy room, anyway. Eriol cast a simple concealment spell since his cover was blown anyway and the three teenagers escaped from the room.

* * *

Syaoran slipped into Eriol's room a few minutes after they had parted ways to change into regular street clothes. The English boy was waiting for him. "We should go now," Syaoran said quickly in Japanese. "My mother is already looking for you, as are the elders we slipped away from at the hearing."

"Lead the way," Eriol said in Cantonese to switch the conversation to Syaoran's native language. He swept his arm towards the door.

"Will you cast another concealing spell?"

"I thought you were an expert at escaping this place."

"When I'd use my own concealing spell," Syaoran answered.

"Fine, but I'm breaking the spell as soon as we step outside of the protective wards."

"That's all I need," Syaoran replied cheekily. Eriol cast the spell and the two of them snuck from the room.

"So," Syaoran started conversationally once they had passed the barrier of the Li shield and Eriol dropped his concealment spell. "Do you have a bad feeling about this outing?" At first, the Chinese teen had thought it had to do with sneaking away from his mother and girlfriend and going against his future father-in-law's wishes, but now that they were actually on their way, those were the last thoughts plaguing him. He had a strange sense that it would be a long time before he saw his Hong Kong mansion again.

"Yes," Eriol answered, not making eye contact with his partner in crime. "If we survive this, I'm sure Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun will kill me for leaving them behind."

"_If we survive this_?" Syaoran squeaked and instantly turned pink since he does not _squeak_. "You feel that badly about this trip?"

Eriol shrugged. "You probably don't have anything to worry about."

"Wait, stop," Syaoran ordered, grabbing Eriol's arm. "Are you being serious or just teasing me again?"

"About what?"

"Don't play dumb. What exactly are you expecting to happen at the university?"

"I don't know what to expect, Xiaolang. However, in order to see this memory, I'm sure it will take a fairly complex spell since I'm not a blood relation to Clow. So, it will draw that mad magician, wherever he is, straight to us. I'm gambling that he's far enough away that we can leave before he reaches us," Eriol explained.

"But why, _if we survive this_?"

Eriol sighed and decided to be honest with his cute descendent for once. "This magician that is following me?"

"Yeah?"

"He is the one who cast that spell on you," Eriol admitted.

"What!" Predictably, Syaoran was furious. "Were you ever planning on telling me that?" he practically yelled, despite their need for secrecy.

"Maybe," Eriol hedged. Syaoran tackled him to the ground and they rolled back and forth on the gravel until Syaoran managed to pin the slightly taller boy. His anger had given him an advantage over Eriol's surprise.

"You are such a liar!" Syaoran accused him. "I almost died and you don't think I deserved to know who was trying to kill me? I don't even know _why_ he tried to kill me!" He shook Eriol's shoulders. The English boy had to hold his head up to keep it from smacking on the pavement below them.

"Let me explain!" Eriol cried, unable to dislodge his ferocious descendent.

"You always lie to me! You're probably going to lie again! So just shut up and let me kill you myself!" Syaoran raged.

"Stop it!" Eriol hissed. He summoned enough magical energy to force Syaoran off of him and scrambled to his feet. He grabbed Syaoran by the front of his shirt and hauled the shorter boy into a dark corner where he pushed him up against the wall. "I promise not to lie to you for the next five minutes, okay? Besides, you're causing a scene!"

"You are causing the scene," Syaoran retorted weakly. Eriol released his hold on the Chinese boy and took a step back.

"Look, the reason I said 'if we survive this' and then said that you probably didn't have anything to worry about is because of that spell he cast on you. He was trying to kill me. Me. But he got the spell wrong, and cast it on a blood descendent of Clow, which I am not, but you are. Except for that detail, you and I fit most of the same parameters, namely age and gender. I didn't even know that he was casting the spell until just before your mother broke it. By then, it didn't matter anymore, did it? He wasn't trying to kill you, Xiaolang."

"I still have a right to know who's casting spells on me and why, even if it is by mistake," Syaoran growled.

"Well, now you do. And now, you know who you're supposed defeat or whatever bull your Clan is forcing on you to get your inheritance back."

Syaoran moved away from the wall and brushed off the front of his shirt from their brief tussle. "Okay. If you know that this mad magician is trying to kill you, then why are walking right into his hands by going to see this memory card?" He eyed Eriol critically.

"The only way to make sure that he doesn't cast any more spells erroneously on my friends is to stop him. I know that you think the world would be a better place without me, but I actually want to live a little longer. So, I need to know what I'm up against. If this memory is of that magician, maybe I can figure out why he is after me."

"I don't think that," Syaoran mumbled in reference to Eriol's statement that the world would be better without him, looking a little abashed.

"Thank you."

"Hm." Syaoran paused to think. "I guess we should go see that memory again. But from now on, Hiiragizawa, you have to keep me informed. We both have a grudge against this guy now and no one said that you have to stop him on your own. Once I get my magic back, we'll definitely be able to take on one stupid idiot."

Eriol opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then closed it again. Eventually he said, "Let's go then." They resumed their trek towards the university. Syaoran kept his eyes open for anyone suspicious looking and Eriol kept his senses on high alert for a yellow aura.

They reached the university without incident, which surprised both of the teenagers. Syaoran led the way to the office where he and Fujitaka had met with the professor Yi Liang. They were dismayed to see that his door was closed and the office was dark.

"Should we wait?" Syaoran asked, glancing down the hall in either direction. Eriol shrugged. He picked up one of the magazines laying on a side table in the waiting area. It was a scientific magazine sporting an article on the cover about the uses of polymeric materials in advanced medicine. Syaoran, taking his cues from the other boy, found a similar magazine and sat down in one of the chairs.

They only had to wait ten minutes before the professor they waited for made his way down the hall towards his office. He wouldn't have even noticed the two boys, who were clearly not old enough to be college students, if Syaoran hadn't been seated in a chair that faced his direction.

"Li Xiaolang!" the professor exclaimed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you," the Chinese boy replied dutifully. "Are you busy now, Professor Yi?"

"I'm never too busy for someone of the Li Clan," the older man answered cheerfully. "What can I do for you? Where is Mr. Kinomoto?"

"It is just me today, Professor Yi, but I brought a friend, Hiiragizawa Eriol. We're both interested in your memory card."

"Of course! Were you able to see the memory after all? I wish I could see it. It would be very interesting to know what naughty secrets the great Clow Reed was hiding, wouldn't it?"

"Er, yes," Syaoran replied hesitantly. "Could we see the memory, again?"

"I don't know," Yi replied, suddenly less accommodating and more plotting. "Your friend doesn't look like he could carry you all the way across Hong Kong like Mr. Kinomoto did if you faint again." Syaoran ground his teeth together at the embarrassing reminder.

"He wants to try to see the memory," Syaoran said when he thought he could control the tone of his voice.

"It's not a toy, Mr. Li. Remember, I told you that only a blood relation of Clow could see the memory. I wouldn't want it to be damaged by being misused."

"We won't hurt it, Professor Yi," Syaoran promised.

"In any case, boys, I really quite busy now. Maybe you could come back another time. Bring Mr. Kinomoto with you." The professor made to unlock the door to his office but his intentions were clear when he hesitated briefly and tried to glance over his shoulder at the Li heir without being obvious. Syaoran clenched his teeth again as he realized the reason for the man's change in attitude.

"If I agreed to have someone from the Li Clan answer some of your questions, would you let us see the memory card again, Professor Yi?" It took all of his self control to not spit out the man's name. He guessed the man's intentions correctly. Suddenly, Professor Yi was very accommodating again.

"That might be an even exchange," he started to agree. Eriol stepped up.

"I'll make you an even better deal, Professor Yi," he said seriously. "I will show you the memory."

"Show me the memory? I don't think you completely understand how these things work, son. Only the person holding the card can see the memory, and then only if that person is a blood relation with great magical capabilities."

"Or if he made the card himself," Eriol added.

"Yes, that too, but Clow Reed isn't with us right now. He died a long time ago."

Eriol glanced down the hall to make sure they were alone before pulling out his key. He held it aloft. "Key with the power of darkness, show me your true power. By the covenant, I, Eriol, command you. RELEASE!" The atmosphere shifted as the strong magic pervaded the small corridor. The tiny key that the magician held grew into a full size staff capped with the symbol of the sun.

"He has reincarnated," Eriol informed the professor.

Yi Liang looked as though he were about to have a heart attack or die of ecstasy, maybe both. He had thought it a lucky day when the heir to the Li Clan had shown up outside his office, but 

now he was practically talking to Clow Reed himself. He couldn't believe that his silly horoscope had warned him that he would find trouble at work. He was speechless until Syaoran prodded him to let them into his office. Now that Eriol had unleashed some of his magic, they were in a great hurry.

Syaoran closed the door to the office once the three of them were inside. Yi opened a locked drawer with a key that he kept with himself at all times and pulled out the wooden case that he had stored the memory card in. He handed it to Eriol. Syaoran was minutely disappointment when the other boy didn't fall into a trance immediately like he had done.

"It's not working," said Yi, disappointed. He had been expecting the same reaction as Syaoran. Eriol ignored him and turned to Syaoran instead.

"You said that the memory is not in Cantonese or Japanese?" he confirmed. Syaoran shook his head. "Do you remember any words?" Negative. "Well, it was probably in English then," Eriol deduced. His magic circle formed around his feet again as he prepared to cast the series of spells that he needed. "Memory card," he instructed in English, "show to us what secrets you hold, translated into Cantonese." He threw up the card like Sakura used her Cards. It hovered in the air and Eriol tapped it with his staff. Like a projector, a large image projected from the tiny card onto the wall. It was as Syaoran remembered…

_The room was dark, lit only the artificial light of a magicians staff. One man was bound to a stone slab while the person whose memory they were watching looked down on him. The bound man was struggling but he was held in place by many magical runes. Despite his blonde hair falling across his eyes, his features were easily distinguishable._

"_I will not let you harm innocent people," said the memory-maker, Clow Reed._

"_What right did you have to take my life?"_

"_It was the right thing to do. I was the only one who could stop you, so I had to do it."_

"_I will not be destroyed by this."_

"_I am sure you will finally be put to rest in the future."_

"_Can you not do it yourself, oh mighty Clow?"_

"_There is someone else better for the job."_

"_You will pay for this, Clow Reed. I promise!"_

_A flash of light and the angry voice was silenced. Stone closed over the still form of a man, his face still set in a scowl, even in death. Magical runes were etched into the stone and then a slip of blue paper came into sight. Another blinding light and then darkness._

The card fluttered to Eriol's outstretched hand. Eriol's expression was guarded but Syaoran could read him well enough to know that something in the memory had bothered him. "Well?" the Chinese heir asked quietly.

"It's him," Eriol whispered in response, his gray eyes still fixed on the now blank wall. "This is why I have no memory of him. Clow made all of his memories into memory cards."

"That was extraordinary," Yi Liang said breathlessly. His face broke into a wide smile. "Could you play it again?"

"I thought it wasn't a toy," Syaoran commented skeptically.

"Well, this boy obviously knows what he is doing," Yi argued jovially. "Are you really the reincarnation of Clow Reed?"

"Yes," Eriol replied grudgingly.

"Oh, I know someone else who would love to meet you! In fact, I have an appointment with him in just a few minutes. He is on a trip here from England and he's been studying Clow Reed for many years. Who better to ask than the wizard himself?"

Eriol and Syaoran looked at each other in alarm. Syaoran quickly turned to the professor to make their excuses. "I'm sorry, sir, but we really have to leave. We are expected somewhere else."

"Oh, it will only take a minute," Yi argued. There was a knock on the door. "See, there he is. He's even early. It was meant to be that you should meet this afternoon."

"We need to leave," Syaoran insisted. He glanced around the room for another way out. The window was their only option. He wished that he had his elemental magic so he could summon the wind to gently lower them to the ground outside.

Yi ignored the protests and opened the door to greet the researcher. "Boys, I would like you to meet Mr. Edward Winston, from London, England. Mr. Winston, this is Li Xiaolang, the boy I was telling you about. The heir to the Li Clan. And this is Hiiragizawa Eriol - isn't that what you said?"

"It is nice to meet you, Li Xiaolang," the Englishman said smoothly with a charming smile. "Since coming to Hong Kong, I have learned much about the importance of the Li family to this area. Eriol, I believe we have already met, back in London."

"You know each other already? Then you must know who Mr. Hiiragizawa really is, Mr. Winston." Yi was amused that the two knew each other before that day, but then he realized that England was really quite small compared to China.

"I do," Mr. Winston said, a dark smile crossing his face.

_tbc..._

Dun dun dun... So, we're getting into a hopefully more exciting part. Please let me know what you thought.

Also, I'm going appologize in advance... Chapter Thirteen is short. But, I'll try to put Fourteen up relatively quickly to make up for it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thanks for the great reviews. Apologies again for the shortness of this chapter. Actually though, the other chapters have just been long. Go figure.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN **

"Fanren," Yelan addressed the first daughter than she came across. "Have you seen your brother?"

"We thought he was with you," she replied, referring to herself and her three sisters. The girls had been eager to finally cuddle their adorable little brother again now that he wasn't fully disowned anymore but his room was empty save for his hastily discarded formal attire. Naturally, they had thought he was with their mother, discussing how best to defeat the spell caster and regain his magic.

"No, I have not seen him since the meeting. He snuck out with Ying Fa and the reincarnation."

"Do you mean Hiiragizawa Eriol?" Fanren asked politely.

"Yes, yes," Yelan replied absently, still looking up and down the hall, trying to get a sense of her son. "I want to speak with him, as well."

"I have not seen either of them," Fanren confirmed and Yelan wondered if she noted a bit of relief in her daughter's voice. It made her suspicious but her bigger concern was finding her misplaced son. "Perhaps he went to find cousin Meiling," Fanren suggested.

"Would you check for me?" Yelan requested.

"Yes, mother," Fanren agreed. Yelan eyed her for a moment before nodding and making her way down the hall, leaving her daughter standing there watching her retreating form. After a minute, Fanren slipped back into the room she had just left. She was immediately bombarded by her sister, Shiefa.

"Are you going to Meiling's?" Shiefa asked curiously.

"Of course not," Fanren snorted in an unlady-like fashion. "If Xiaolang doesn't want to be found, he won't be. Besides, I think Hiiragizawa needs a little more time to recuperate before facing mother again."

"So you were surprised at how she treated him at breakfast, too?" Shiefa asked for clarification.

"Weren't you?" Fanren retorted. "She was really harsh on him."

"Yes, but I don't see what the problem is with answering a few questions."

"I'm sure whatever his reason, it is a valid one," Fanren stated with a shrug. She paused for a moment before grinning wickedly at her sister. "He is cute, though, isn't he? Almost as cute as little Xiaolang."

"I bet he's even cuter when he smiles. He seems so sad since he's been here."

"I wonder why," Fanren pondered. "We'll have to set him and little Xiaolang down for a sisterly chat whenever they come out of hiding."

"Definitely," Shiefa agreed. "But we were on our way to find Akizuki, weren't we?"

"We were. Maybe she can tell us more about her secretive master."

"Or about her really cute boyfriend from England!" The two sisters giggled and left the room. They were nearly to the room that Akizuki Nakuru was sharing with Hiiragizawa Eriol when an enraged shout met their ears. Alarmed, they finished the trek to the room in a run.

"What is going on?" Sheifa asked once they had burst into the room. She skidded to a halt when she came face to face with a shaking guardian. She barely noticed the oldest sister, Fuutie, was already in the room or that Fanren had run into her back when she stopped suddenly.

Ruby Moon was so livid that she shook as she stood in the middle of the room. Though she was no taller than normal, she seemed to tower over the three sisters. Spinel Sun was also in his true form, mainly because he had a better chance of defending himself in this form if Ruby Moon decided to take her anger at their master out on him.

"This," Fuutie said, handing a slip of paper to her younger sister. She switched the conversation to Japanese for Ruby's benefit. Sheifa quickly read the short note written in her brother's unmistakable handwriting.

"Xiaolang and Hiiragizawa-san snuck away from the mansion to see a professor about a memory card?" she summarized. If possible, Ruby Moon looked even more furious.

"Just the two of them, hence the enraged guardian," Fuutie elaborated, motioning towards Ruby Moon.

"Ah," Fanren and Shiefa said in unison.

"They could have at least taken Sakura-chan if they wouldn't tell me they were leaving," Ruby Moon fumed. Her pupils were pinpricks and her irises had gone from a soft pink to a dark red.

"We don't know for sure that they're in trouble. Hiiragizawa-san is a powerful magician and Xiaolang can take care of himself, even without magic," Fanren said rationally. "We should give them a few hours and then start to worry." This last sentence was directed mainly at Ruby Moon.

The Moon guardian took the hint and forced herself to stop looking quite so homicidal. Spinel Sun felt safe enough now to resume his disguised form. Eventually, Ruby Moon also returned to her form as Akizuki Nakuru. She hadn't had her last words yet, though. "He better be alive when I find him, so I can kill him myself," she seethed.

The three Li sisters wisely left Spinel Sun to deal with his counterpart. They decided to track down their very cute guests Touya and Yukito. They could hear about the extremely cute Eddy Smith some other time.

* * *

Yi opened the door to greet the researcher who had come to ask him more questions about the history of Hong Kong and Clow Reed. "Boys, I would like you to meet Mr. Edward Winston, from London, England. Mr. Winston, this is Li Xiaolang, the boy I was telling you about. The heir to the Li Clan. And this is Hiiragizawa Eriol - isn't that what you said?"

"It is nice to meet you, Li Xiaolang," the Englishman said smoothly with a charming smile. "Since coming to Hong Kong, I have learned much about the importance of the Li family to this area. Eriol, I believe we have already met, back in London."

"You know each other already? Then you must know who Mr. Hiiragizawa really is, Mr. Winston." Yi was amused that the two knew each other before that day, but then he realized that England was really quite small compared to China.

"I do," Mr. Winston said, a dark smile crossing his face.

"Good, then no explanations are needed. Mr. Hiiragizawa, play the memory again so Mr. Winston can see as well," Yi suggested.

Eriol mechanically lifted the card he still possessed. He was very conscious of how closely "Mr. Winston" was watching his every move. As if he were simply finding the best spot from which to perform the spell, Eriol moved so his body was between the mad magician and Syaoran. Yi thought it was strange that Eriol didn't use the same spell as before to summon the memory, but he soon found out why when it wasn't a memory that projected from the card, but bolts of fiery magical energy. With a startled cry of fear, Yi dropped to the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Mr. Winston was still standing in the same place, a placid smile on his face. He raised one hand and fired a bolt of electricity at the younger sorcerer, which Eriol blocked with his staff. It reflected to a corner of the room, completely demolishing one of Yi's filing cabinets.

"I thought you might respond negatively to me, Clow Reed," Mr. Winston sneered. "So, I brought help." Out of thin air appeared the dark figures that had plagued them in Japan.

"What's going on?" demanded Yi from his safe place behind his computer chair. For the moment, no one paid him any attention.

The dark figures rushed at the two teenagers. Experience led the boys to attack physically instead of magically. Syaoran, being the great fighter that he was, was able to take down two of the figures to Eriol's one before Mr. Winston decided to step in and help. With great pleasure, he commenced his favorite attack on the young reincarnation.

An entire wall vaporized as Eriol's magic exploded through the room. It also knocked over most of the dark figures and caused Yi to cower and hide his head in terror. The dust settled around Syaoran, who stood protectively over Eriol's prone figure, and Mr. Winston, who was untouched by the current destruction of Yi's office.

"You must be the one I mistakenly cast the weakening spell on," Mr. Winston mused, taking a step closer to the Chinese boy. "You should have seen how desperate Clow looked when he figured it out." Another step. "It was a look I'd love to see from him again." He was now too close for comfort. Syaoran's eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to defend himself with. He spotted a mirror that was only a leap away.

Mr. Winston raised his hand to attack the defenseless boy. Syaoran jumped out of the way at the last second and snatched up the mirror. He used it to deflect the magic that the mad magician sent his way. He probably could have made it to the exit - now the size of the entire wall thanks to Eriol - but he couldn't leave the reincarnation to this man's wiles. He had to figure out a way to get them both out of there. He really wished they had at least brought Eriol's guardians with them. Or better yet, Sakura's.

Syaoran had moved far enough from Eriol that he could do nothing to stop the new spell that the mad magician threw Eriol's way. What looked like a birdcage formed on its side around the prone teenager, locking him inside. "Let him go!" Syaoran ordered angrily. He threw the mirror at the Englishman like a throwing star, hoping to cause enough damage to let them escape. Mr. Winston ducked just in time. Now defenseless again, Syaoran was forced to physically dodge the attacks. He didn't notice until too late that Mr. Winston seemed to always aim at his right side, forcing him to move to the left, until he found himself trapped in one of the yellow birdcages. Raising both of his hands, Mr. Winston caused the two cages to elevate, righting Eriol's in the process. The unconscious teen slumped to the bottom of his cage.

"Thank you very much, Professor Yi," Mr. Winston said calmly, as if he weren't standing in the middle of the destruction of said professor's office after trapping two teenagers in magic birdcages. "If you hadn't told me all about the Li Clan, I never would have known what a treasure I'd miss taking today." He snapped his fingers. Syaoran slumped to the bottom of his cage as well, out cold. "Have a good day." He clapped his hands together and he, the two cages, and the flattened dark figures all snapped out of sight. The destruction of the office remained where it was.

Yi Liang clutched his head in his hands and rocked back and forth. He sincerely regretted not listening to his horoscope and staying home sick today.

tbc...

Thanks for reading. I might post 14 a bit earlier than planned to make up for this being short.


	14. Chapter 14

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you for the great reviews.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

The first thing Syaoran noticed when he awoke was that he was cold. The second thing he noticed was the reason for his cold state: his bare legs were pressed against smooth, _cold_ concrete. His legs were bare as apparently somewhere between the university and wherever he was now, he had lost his pants. And his sweater, his socks, his shoes, and his jacket. In fact, he had lost everything he had been wearing except his undershirt and boxers. And it was cold wherever he was.

He sat up so that the only bare skin touching the cold concrete was on the soles of his feet. From this vantage point, he could make out more of his, well, prison. The room was small, probably no bigger than three square meters. The walls were covered with stone and the floor, as already mentioned, was concrete. A foreboding metal door was in the middle of one wall, the only way in or out of the room. A bare bulb hung from the center of the concrete ceiling. In the surprisingly bright yellow light, Syaoran could see into every corner of his cell. At least the cell was clean.

Near the door was a pile of neatly folded blankets and a bucket of water. On the other side of the cell was another person, still stretched out on the cold concrete, also wearing nothing but boxers and a thin white button down shirt.

"Hiiragizawa?" Syaoran asked cautiously. He glanced at the metal door but nothing happened. He called to other boy a little louder. No response. Syaoran decided not to freeze while he waited for the other boy to wake up so he moved awkwardly over to retrieve the blankets. Waking up on the concrete had left his muscles and joints stiff. He wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and then knelt down next to the English teenager. He shook Eriol's shoulder but still to no effect.

"You're always so damn stubborn," Syaoran scowled. "At least they're holding us in the same place." Even an unconscious Eriol was better than no Eriol. Syaoran laid out the second blanket before painstakingly rolling Eriol's still form onto it. Once the magician was off of the cold floor, Syaoran folded up the other half of the blanket so it covered him. Content that Eriol wouldn't freeze to death for the moment either, Syaoran sat down again and adjusted the small blanket so he was completely covered. There was nothing to do but keep guard and wait.

About an hour after Syaoran had started his vigil, Eriol stirred for the first time. The English boy rolled onto his back and reached blindly for something but all he found was Syaoran. "Hey, watch where you're reaching," Syaoran scowled. He was in a bad mood since he'd been alone for the past hour, thinking of all of the worst case scenarios for their current predicament.

"Xiao?" Eriol questioned groggily. He squinted his eyes and that helped a little to see his frowning descendent. He wasn't really surprised that his glasses didn't manage to survive the fight. He really should consider contacts. Eriol pushed himself into a sitting position and rested his forehead on his knees while he waited for the room to stop spinning.

"What's going on?" Syaoran asked impatiently. "Where are we?" He didn't bother with the fact that he'd been awake a lot longer than his companion.

"Give me a minute," Eriol mumbled, his head still bowed. After the flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, Eriol had felt almost cooked on the inside after fighting the magic. Now he felt as if his raw insides had been seared to a black crust. His body couldn't decide what it wanted to do first; cough up a lung or empty his stomach of everything he hadn't eaten that morning. His throat protested both ideas by aching something fierce. He grit his teeth together and let out just enough magic to find that his key was not within reach. The exertion caused him to pant slightly and Syaoran to ask if he was okay. "'M fine," Eriol whispered.

"You said you weren't going to lie to me anymore," Syaoran complained.

"Then why did you ask?" Eriol was proud of himself for managing to convey a tone of irony in his weak voice.

"I don't know," Syaoran said with an air of defeat. "Are you fine enough to bust us out of here?"

"Probably not," Eriol admitted semi-honestly.

"Then I guess we can't do anything but sit here and wait," Syaoran concluded irritably.

"Why don't you break us out," Eriol suggested in annoyance.

"I don't have any magic," Syaoran reminded him. "Conveniently, that happens to be _your_ fault." Syaoran instantly regretted his harsh words when Eriol tensed beside him and then spoke in a low voice.

"I didn't ask for this."

"I know. I'm sorry," the younger teen apologized sincerely. "But I still don't have any magic."

Eriol sighed and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Syaoran responded defensively. "Think about it, Xiaolang. Magic exists in this world, so it must follow the rules of this world. Take the memory card, for instance. It was made because Clow couldn't just erase it. Even the Erase card doesn't blink things out of existence. Physics is real and physics states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, simply changed. So Clow changed rearranged the molecules that used to be a nerve connection in his brain into a piece of cardboard and buried it in a tomb. Erase does the same thing. It breaks down whatever it is that you're aiming at and converts what's left into something else. Likewise, the rules of biology can't just be ignored. You were born a Li, you are a product of a combination of your mother's and father's DNA. They can't just change that. Every organ in your body is programmed to work with the other organs and that includes your blood. If your mother had really severed your blood ties with the Li Clan, it would have killed you. Your liver, for instance, would have quit. So it's all just a stupid farce that was created to make the younger Clan members do what the older ones wanted under the threat of being disowned."

"What about my magic?" Syaoran questioned, unable to decide if he believed Eriol or not. What the other teen was saying went against much of what he was taught to value as a member of the Clan. Being disowned was a punishment some thought worse than death.

"Look at it this way: there is no way that you can "defeat" someone like Edgar Winfordshire without magic. Your real task is to take back your magic."

"Take it back? From where?"

"It's where it's always been. Break the spell put on you when you were disowned."

"Why can't you ever give me a straight answer, Hiiragizawa?"

"That is a straight answer! Do you want me to repeat it to you in Japanese?"

Syaoran growled. "If it's as easy as you say it is, then let's see." He stood up and stretched his arm out before him, two fingers held upright while the rest curled in towards his palm. He closed his eyes and concentrated like he always did to summon the ancient magic of his family. Nothing happened.

"I didn't say it would be easy," Eriol corrected him when he flopped back down on his blanket.

"Of course not."

"You should keep trying, however," Eriol said encouragingly. "You will probably find your magic before I can muster mine."

"You said you were fine," Syaoran pointed out.

"You said I was lying," Eriol retorted, smiling sweetly at his descendent. Syaoran scowled and glared at the wall across from them. It was a full five minutes before he spoke again.

"You said Edgar Winfordshire. He called himself Edward Winston."

"I lie to you, dear descendent, and I like you. Why would he tell you the truth?"

"Oh." Another five minutes passed. "Where is that bastard? Shouldn't he care that we woke up?"

"I don't mind that he's leaving us alone."

"If he came here, we could at least tell him to turn the heat up."

"I'm sure he'd rush to see to our every comfort."

"I'm glad you're being sarcastic. It lets me know you're not about to breathe your last."

"I'm glad you're pretending to care," Eriol shot back.

"I don't hate you, Eriol," Syaoran informed him. "Yeesh. Why are you acting like a girl since coming to Hong Kong?"

"I am not acting like a _girl_," Eriol argued, insulted.

"It never bothered you in the past that I wasn't your biggest fan. In fact, you purposely teased and taunted me every time we met. You enjoy tormenting me. Now, suddenly, you act upset because you tell yourself I don't like you. You're just like Feimei during _that_ time of the month."

"First of all, I never did anything to you," Eriol retorted. "My first day in Tomoeda I dared to speak to Sakura, Clow's successor and keeper of the Cards, to whom it was my duty to guide in converting said Cards into Sakura Cards, and you were ready to rip my head off. Just like you automatically hated Kaho and Touya and Kero. Who was acting like a girl, Xiaolang? _Oh no, the boy I like is talking to another girl. I think I'll go into a jealous rage and hate everyone he talks to_," Eriol finished in a high falsetto, despite the pain it caused his throat.

"Shut up," Syaoran ordered. His face was red with embarrassment. In order to change the subject, since he couldn't really refute Eriol's defense, he focused on the magician's word choice.

"Why do you refer to Clow in the third person? Why don't you say my successor or my cards?"

"I. Am. Not. Clow. Reed." Syaoran scooted away from Eriol as if he was a rabid dog.

"Don't overreact or anything."

"I hate Clow Reed," Eriol stated in a monotone, his eyes fixed on the opposite wall.

"How can you hate Clow Reed? Look at everything he's done for you."

Eriol turned to look at Syaoran incredulously. "Like this? I appreciate it." He waved his hand at the bare walls of their prison. "And when he stole my identity at nine years of age? Or when he forced me to stay in the body of an eleven year old for over thirty years while all of my friends grew up and had kids of their own? How about filling my head with memories of things I couldn't possibly understand at that age?"

"You seem to like Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun well enough."

"The ability to create my guardians is the only thing good I ever got from Clow Reed." He pursed his lips together. "Ruby will kill me if we ever meet again."

"Don't say if," Syaoran protested. "I don't plan on leaving this place in a body bag. I'm going to regain my magic and defeat this bastard. So prepare for your guardian's wrath."

Eriol wished he had Syaoran's optimism.

* * *

The sun set on Hong Kong as the group of worried individuals gathered in the living room of the Li Mansion. It was much like the scene in Tomoeda the snowy night that this whole mess had started, though there were many more people and the room was much more elegant, albeit less homey. And Sakura was very aware that her boyfriend was not dozing on the couch next to her.

"Mr. Yi Liang is in custody downtown right now," the suited detective informed the group. "He claims to have had nothing to do with the abduction of Li Xiaolang and his friend and we're likely to believe him. He is an upstanding citizen and appeared genuinely upset that his office was the location of the crime."

"Did he have any idea what this Edward Winston person was planning?" Yelan inquired stiffly. "Or why an Englishman would be interested in the heir of a Chinese family?"

"He mentioned something about a Clow Reed, whom I know your family claims to be descended from. Other than that, he gave no motive," the detective answered. "According to Mr. Yi, he was not expecting the boys this afternoon. They were waiting for him when he returned from a meeting, about half an hour before his scheduled meeting with Edward Winston."

"What happened between the time Mr. Yi met my son and this Mr. Winston person showed up?" questioned Yelan.

"Something about a spell and a memory. He wasn't very clear and here his story started to make less sense."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"That is all I know at the moment, Mrs. Li. You have my card, you may call me at any time, and I will continue to update you whenever we find out anything about your son and his friend." The detective bowed respectfully and took his leave. He was escorted to the front door by one of Syaoran's sisters.

As soon as the detective was out of hearing range, Tomoyo burst into tears. Sakura and Meiling, who were seated on either side of her, immediately asked her what was wrong. "He's going to kill him," she cried. She threw her arms around Sakura's neck and buried her face in her best friend's shoulder. "I'll never see him again."

"Who?" Meiling asked. She was able to keep her own emotions in check even while Sakura's eyes started to water. Tomoyo just shook her head and pressed her face against Sakura's shoulder. Her own shoulders shook as she continued to weep.

Fujitaka moved from his seat to kneel in front of his wife's cousin's daughter. "Tomoyo-san, please calm down," he said soothingly. "Everything will be all right."

Tomoyo pulled away from Sakura and wiped one hand across her eyes. "No, it can't be," she insisted. "Eriol-kun told me… He told me that the mad magician wants revenge on C-clow Reed. He's going to hurt Eriol-kun."

"Shhh. Nothing has happened yet, Tomoyo-chan," Fujitaka assured her. "I would know, I think." He wasn't sure himself, but he didn't want the girl to make herself ill with worry. He stroked her silky black hair gently.

"What about Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked faintly. Her voice caught at the end of the question. She was close to tears herself.

"What happened to Syaoran-kun was an accident," Tomoyo admitted. She felt horrible about revealing everything that Eriol had told her in confidence, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. She needed the comfort of having other people know her dark secrets. She hoped Eriol wouldn't mind too much. "The spell was originally meant for Eriol-kun."

There was a flutter of movement from behind Fujitaka. Everyone looked up just in time to see Nakuru storm from the room, Spinel Sun flying worriedly after her. It wasn't really a surprise. They all knew how upset she was about Eriol's disappearance. It was surprising when Yukito stood up as well.

"Yuki?" Touya asked in concern. He received no answer as Sakura's magic circle appeared under Yukito's feet and large white wings unfurled to form a cocoon around him. Seconds later, the wings parted to reveal Yue.

"Yue-san?" This time is was Sakura.

"Stay here, Sakura-chan. Do not leave the grounds of the Li mansion." With those final words, Yue disappeared from the room as well.

"Yue!" Touya shouted after the guardian. He growled in frustration and clenched his fists. Even though he was probably near the end of a long line of people who would like a cheap shot at the mad magician, he thought he would sorely love to land a few good punches on the bastard. Especially since he had made Sakura and Tomoyo cry.

"Well, since there is nothing we can do at the moment, I suggest we all go to bed," Li Yelan suggested stoically. She rose from her seat gracefully, nodded her head towards her guests, turned towards the door, and left.

"Huh?" Sakura voiced her confusion at their host's abrupt departure. Meiling bit her lip and looked towards her older cousins for help. The three girls looked as confused as everyone else. Fuutie bid everyone a goodnight as well before hurrying out of the room. She didn't have to go far to find her mother. Yelan had one hand braced against the wall with her other arm clutching her stomach. Her head was bowed and she looked to be in great pain. Fuutie hurried to her side.

"What is wrong, mother?" she asked fearfully.

"I only just got him back," Yelan whispered painfully. Her eyes slid shut and her brow furrowed.

"We'll get him back again," Fuutie promised, taking her mother's arm. "I will help you to your room." Together, mother and daughter made their way towards the back of the mansion where the master suite as located. Yelan couldn't even look at the closed door to Syaoran's room as they passed it. She didn't think he heart could take much more pain.

tbc...

Don't worry, the girls aren't going to take this lying down...


	15. Chapter 15

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Again, thank you wonderful reviewers. Your comments are very encouraging.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

"Ruby, you don't even know where to start looking," Suppi pointed out, fluttering nervously around his fellow guardian's head. He had never seen the "girl" this upset before and he was worried about what she would do. Already she was angrily shoving what few pieces of clothing she had into her carry-on case.

"Somewhere is a good place to start," Nakuru hissed. "I refuse to sit here while that psycho tortures my master. _I_ will be the one to skin him for leaving without telling us," she fumed. "So either help me, Suppi, or get out of my way."

"Of course I'm not going to let you go by yourself!" Suppi argued. "Please, just take one minute to think rationally about this."

"The time for planning has passed. We need to act before something irreversible happens," she retorted with determination. It made her feel marginally better that Suppi was going to go with her, even if he was being typical and wanting to plan every last detail of their rescue attempt. Sometimes he was too much like Eriol…

"Ruby, you have to calm down," Suppi begged, flying into his fellow guardian's face. "Take a deep breath or ten."

"I'm leaving right now," she declared, brushing the small panther away from her face. She hoisted up her carry-on case and faced the doorway. To her surprise, it was blocked by Yue. The original moon guardian's cat-like blue eyes were shadowed as he regarded them coolly from the doorway. Nakuru summoned the magic that would allow her to return to her true form.

Yue raised one hand in a stop motion. "I did not come to stop you," he said evenly in lightly accented English, the language Nakuru and Suppi had been speaking in. The transformation of Eriol's guardian completed. Ruby Moon eyed him suspiciously.

"Then what do you want, Yue?"

"Near the middle of his life, Clow Reed made the acquaintance of a young English sorcerer named Winfordshire. It was apparent early on that the man was unstable and soon reached the point of madness. In order to stop his dangerous plotting, Clow was forced to take defensive actions against him. In the altercation, Winfordshire died. Clow sealed his body away in a secure location in northern China." Yue's entire story was spoken in his typical disinterested manner.

"That sounds familiar," Spinel muttered to himself, thinking of the story Sakura had told them about Madoushi in Hong Kong during one of her breaks. Madoushi hadn't been dead, however. "But if this sorcerer is dead, why worry about him?" the clever feline questioned.

"Two years ago, about the time when Sakura became Master of the Clow, the tomb was found and opened, resulting in the disappearance of all the archaeologists."

"Tell me where," Ruby ordered.

"I will take you there," Yue stated. Ruby nodded succinctly. The three of them were gone within minutes.

Spinel Sun had resumed his true form as well, so the three guardians were flying high above Hong Kong when Ruby Moon asked, "Why are you helping us, Yue?"

"Though Clow may no longer be my master, I do not want ill to befall his legacy, or my master's most precious person."

"Then why didn't you simply tell us all of this in the beginning. Eriol asked you directly if you knew who was targeting him."

"Things are getting out of hand," Yue replied cryptically. He refused to say any more on the matter, seeing as how he had said more in the few minutes since appearing in Nakuru's room that he usually did in a week. As they flew, his mind wandered back to one of the memories he had regained once all the Sakura Cards had been converted.

"_Stop it, stop it, stop it!" _

_Kerberos laughed, immensely pleased with himself for getting his fellow guardian to show emotion, even if it was anger. He let go of the tails of Yue's tunic and scampered out of the way of Yue's Death Glare. The younger guardian wasn't allowed to use his ice crystals on Kerberos, a rule which had probably spared Kerberos' life many times in the past. _

_Yue mourned over the dirtied white fabric while plotting his sibling's early demise. He was sure that _this_ time, Clow would see reason and let Yue at least maim Kerberos with one of his arrows, if not outright end his existence. Yue stormed out of the sitting room where he had been trying to read, leaving behind a guffawing armored lion. He knew Clow would be in his study. He had been looking into the future again, something that numerous people warned him against but Clow paid them no heed._

_Clow didn't look up when Yue entered the room, even though it was clear he was no longer looking ahead. He seemed lost in thought and a little saddened. Yue didn't want to interrupt his master so he sat down in a huff at his feet, leaning back against the side of the red wingback chair._

"_Am I doing the right thing?" Clow questioned. Yue looked up at him, unsure if the question was rhetorical or not. "To ask such a thing of a child…"_

"_What thing?" Yue inquired. _

"_He will grow to despise me for all the trouble I cause him, even after he embraces the task I leave for him to complete."_

"_Who?"_

"_His other half will have a full life, with a family and a career, but he will lose nearly everything to take up my mantle."_

_Yue didn't bother asking for any more clarification. Clow was in the sort of mood where he could reason out his problems on his own if he talked through them out loud. Yue forced himself to be patient. He kept his anger at Kerberos alive by remembering all of the suffering the lion caused him and by looking balefully at his dirtied tunic. Didn't Kerberos understand that as a guardian of the great Clow Reed, it was essential to look one's best so to not bring dishonor to their master?_

"_I will set another task before him," Clow decided after a few minutes of silent contemplation. "This one he will not know about beforehand. I will not leave him any memories of it. But the completion of it will serve to bolster his self-worth as an individual and not as my reflection."_

_Yue was mildly confused by Clow's inane babblings, but then again, that was a rather common occurrence. Yue had discovered that simply ignoring most of what Clow said was the best way to not go mad. He still hadn't quite figured out what to do about Kerberos yet, however. _

"_Yue," Clow said, finally addressing his younger guardian. _

"_Yes, Clow?" Yue dutifully remembered to not call the magician "Master."_

"_I need to travel into the future."_

"_Again?" Yue was instantly worried. The last time Clow had traveled into the future, something about a Card Captor, he had been exhausted for days afterwards. Yue hated to see his beloved master anything but in peak physical health. _

"_Yes. I shall complete the journey in a week's time."_

"_Why do you need to travel into the future again?"_

"_I will explain it later, my friend. For now, I am not one hundred percent sure of my plans."_

"_I can help you," Yue reminded him. _

"_Not with this, my dear moonbeam." Clow looked unseeingly across the room for a minute, lost in thought again. When he returned from his thoughts he addressed his guardian. "What did you need, Yue?"_

"_Oh…" Now Yue felt guilty burdening his master with his petty quarrel with Kerberos when the magician clearly had pressing matters on his mind. _

"_What did Kero do now?" Clow asked knowingly, unable to hide the hint of amusement in his voice. He looked down fondly on his guardian. _

"_The usual," Yue muttered. _

"_You want my permission to put a few arrows through my lovable sun guardian?" Yue flushed slightly, then grew darker still at the realization that he had let his perfect, calm, in-control persona slip. Clow laughed warmly. "I'm sorry, moonbeam, but I'm not ready to be parted with either you or Kero yet." Clow reached down and cupped Yue's cheek in one hand. "Is there anything I can do to right the injustice caused by my creation?"_

"_No," Yue said with a sigh. "I can take care of it."_

"_Very well." Clow pulled his hand away so he could push himself out of his red wingback chair. "I think some ice cream sounds very good right now."_

"_I need to clean up, first," Yue replied, thinking of the dark smudge on the tail of his tunic._

"_You look beautiful, moonbeam. I don't care if you are a little untidy. It doesn't dishonor me." Yue frowned at the way Clow always seemed able to read his mind. Hmph. It was like the man had created him or something._

_Clow linked his arm through Yue's and led his guardian out of the study. They found Kerberos still in the sitting room, lounging peacefully in front of the fireplace. He loved the idea of ice cream, so the three of them adjourned to the kitchen for a sweet treat in the middle of February. _

"I never did learn for whom Clow's intentions were that day, despite his going into the future a week later, like he said he would," Yue thought to himself as he flew beside the reincarnation's guardians. "Things are starting to make sense now about his creating a task for his legacy, especially now that I know exactly what, or who, he was talking about."

* * *

"But Yue-san said to stay here," Sakura protested weakly. Her watery emerald eyes silently begged Meiling to not press her anymore. Unfortunately, the Chinese girl was unmoved.

"He went out there, didn't he?" Meiling reminded Sakura. "Who is the master here, you or Yue-san?"

"We're friends," Sakura pouted. Kero looked vaguely insulted at Meiling's question.

"Yes, friends. Your most precious person, and mine, is out there, suffering unheard of tortures, and you want to sit here listening to a mere friend? I thought you were the Card Mistress." Meiling made sure to sound as if she thought Sakura was completely overrated and had her priorities out of order. "Don't you agree, Miss Daidouji?"

"We're not even sure where to start looking," Tomoyo said slowly, unsure of what exactly she wanted to do. Looking towards Kero was no help; the guardian looked as torn as she felt. She desperately wanted to make sure Eriol and Li were okay. On the other hand, sneaking out is what landed the two boys in this trouble in the first place. She said as much.

"Yes, but we're girls. We aren't dumb enough to walk straight into a trap," Meiling argued. Sakura looked doubtful. She wasn't exactly known for her insightfulness and was probably quite likely to walk head-on into a trap. That's one reason why Syaoran was so good for her. He could usually avoid these things.

"How would we travel?" Tomoyo asked. Meiling grinned at her, sure that Miss Daidouji was on her side. The beautiful Japanese girl could be very persuasive when she wanted to be so Meiling was sure that together they could convince Sakura.

"Well, Sakura-chan can fly and so can the plushie," Meiling pointed out.

"I'm not a plushie! I am a ferocious lion," Kero insisted, flying up into Meiling's face. "Besides, I wouldn't carry you, anyway."

"We still don't know where to go," Sakura reminded them, clinging hopefully to Tomoyo's earlier argument.

"Didn't Syaoran-kun mention something about someone being buried alive on our way here?" Tomoyo asked her best friend. Sakura looked terrified at the thought as she nodded slowly.

This seemed to strike a chord with Meiling. The Chinese girl pursed her lips together and rolled her eyes skyward as she tried to think of what it was that Tomoyo's comment was making her think of. After about thirty seconds, Meiling snapped her fingers. "A few years ago, some archeologists found an old tomb covered with magical runes. When they tried to open it, it exploded and everyone died," she reported, a bit inaccurately.

"A dangerous magician was sealed in a tomb by Clow," Kero admitted. "But no one could break through a ward set by Clow Reed!"

"That's where we need to go first," Meiling decided. "Even if they're not there, we can probably find a clue to where they are."

"Do you know where the tomb was located?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

"Of course!" Meiling replied proudly. "I know where everything is in China."

"Guys…" Sakura pleaded weakly. "What will my father and your aunt say, Meiling-chan, when they find us gone?"

"If they think that the best course of action is waiting for this psycho to send little Syaoran-kun's body home in a bag, then I don't care what they think!" Meiling declared. Tomoyo giggled. "What?"

"You call him "little" Syaoran-kun?"

"So, that's what everyone else in his family calls him," Meiling said defensively.

"Everyone in his family is bigger than he is," Tomoyo pointed out.

"Hmph." Meiling frowned. "I don't think that matters. Besides, that's not what we're talking about, anyway. Are we going to this tomb or not?"

"Yue-san will be angry," Sakura argued.

"He'll get over it," Kero retorted. "You'll be safe as long as you have me with you!"

"See. Does that mean you're in, plu- uh, Kero-chan?" Meiling confirmed.

"I don't want to sit here while all the action is going on elsewhere, especially if Yue gets to be a part of the action," Kero told them.

"What about you, Miss Daidouji?"

"I want to help Eriol-kun and Li-kun," Tomoyo said courageously. Meiling nodded in approval.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Everything will be all right, right?"

"Right."

"Okay then," Sakura reluctantly agreed. Once the decision had been made, she sat up a little straighter. "You're right, Meiling-chan, I _am_ the Card Mistress. I won't let anything happen to my friends if I can help it!"

"Let's go then!" Meiling declared. "We can sneak into the armory before we leave to make sure we are protected."

"You have an armory?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, I have the perfect costume for Cardcaptor Sakura-chan, to the Rescue!" Tomoyo exclaimed, her eyes going starry. Sakura, Meiling, and Kero sweatdropped.

So first, Meiling left the two Japanese girls so she could change into her ceremonial fighting robes. Tomoyo and Sakura remained in their room. Tomoyo pulled out the costume she had in mind. Surprisingly, it was somewhat less fantastical than other costumes she had designed. It consisted of tight black cotton pants under a khaki green skirt. A navy blue t-shirt with a large pink heart on the front fit under a brown cargo jacket. The headpiece was a simple headband to help keep her bangs away from her eyes. The ensemble was completed by tan hiking boots.

"All of the pockets are so you can have whatever you might need with you," Tomoyo explained. Sakura opened one of the pockets to find it filled with a Swiss army knife and some string. Another pocket had Band-Aids and first aid cream. Still another pocket had safety pins and a tiny pen and pad of paper. A large pocket on the skirt was the perfect size for the Sakura Cards. Tomoyo had tried to think of everything Sakura might need.

For herself, Tomoyo changed into warm woolen leggings and a warm sweater. She, too, wore study shoes. She quickly braided her hair back so it wouldn't get in the way. She made sure that her V8 and plenty of spare tapes and batteries were packed into a small backpack. Once the two girls were convinced that they were ready, they set out to find Meiling. The Chinese girl was waiting for them.

"Are we ready?"

"Yup!" Sakura replied. Now that she was going, she was growing more and more excited. She would rescue Syaoran and Eriol!

The three friends started down the hall towards the exit that would put them out the closest to the armory. Along the way, Meiling turned to Tomoyo. "You really like Hiiragizawa-kun, don't you, Miss Daidouji?"

"Why do you ask?" Tomoyo questioned, looking a bit surprised.

"It's very unlike you to do something rash like this. You must really want to rescue him."

"Eriol-kun and I are just friends," Tomoyo insisted, proud of her cheeks for remaining their porcelain color. "Rescuing Li-kun would make Sakura-chan very happy, and therefore is something I would risk myself to see happen." Sakura blushed deeply at this.

"He told you an awful lot of secrets for being 'just friends,' " Meiling argued, narrowing her red eyes.

"That was his choice," Tomoyo told her softly. "I don't think I deserved his confidence."

"Of course you do, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura insisted. "You're the best person to tell secrets to."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

Meiling didn't look convinced. She had spent enough years madly in love with Syaoran to know how a girl acted when she liked a boy and Tomoyo was definitely acting like she liked Hiiragizawa as more than a friend. They reached the armory before she could press the heiress further.

Meiling picked out weapons for each of them, including Tomoyo. Tomoyo was sure that she wouldn't need the small dagger than Meiling handed her but she slipped it into her backpack anyway. Sakura didn't need much in the way of weapons, either, considering she had an arsenal of magical cards at her disposal, so Meiling also gave her a small dagger just in case. For herself, she picked out a few throwing stars, a dagger, and a long sword much like the one her cousin carried, except not magical.

They made their way back towards the main house. They were just about to sneak around the corner when a voice stopped them. "Where do you think you're going?" The three girls and one guardian turned as one to see who had caught them.

"Onii-chan!"

tbc...

Please criticize constructively and/or review.


	16. Chapter 16

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"This is torture," Syaoran complained, trying to bore a hole in the wall with his glare. Fortunately, it wasn't the kind of torture that his cousin was imagining for him, but it was still downright miserable. He was freezing cold, starving, and bored. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd woken up in the sterile cell, but he knew it had been hours. During that time, no one had come to check on them, which also meant no food, water, or mentally stimulating conversation.

He had been having somewhat mentally stimulating conversation up until not too long ago. Hiiragizawa admittedly made for a better conversation partner than a stone wall, but the reincarnation's energy had given out on him and he'd fallen into a troubled sleep again, leaving Syaoran to entertain himself.

He sat, huddled under his thin blanket, and considered the wall. He wondered what it wouldn't say if he addressed it. He glanced down suspiciously at Hiiragizawa. It would be just like the annoying magician to not actually be sleeping and hear Syaoran talking to himself. Syaoran didn't want to give the English boy any more ways to tease him.

Hiiragizawa looked like he was asleep. He looked strange without his glasses. It wasn't the first time Syaoran had seen him without the metal frames as they'd been swimming together before, but now it seemed like something was missing.

Syaoran warily poked Hiiragizawa's shoulder. Nothing happened. He poked a little harder. Still nothing. He could feel the other boy shivering slightly under the thin cover which only served to remind Syaoran how cold he was, too. Syaoran decided that Hiiragizawa really was asleep.

"So," Syaoran ventured casually. "Does anything exciting ever happen here?"

The wall didn't say, "Oh, lots of exciting stuff."

"Like what?"

"Icicles forming on people's eyelashes, toes falling off due to frostbite," the wall didn't name a couple of things.

"I think I am getting frostbite," Syaoran commented, looking down to where he could have seen his toes if they weren't covered by the blanket. "I wonder if my magic will still work if all my fingers freeze off."

"Probably not," the wall didn't answer flippantly.

"I wish I had an ofuda paper. I could make a fire."

"You don't have any ofuda papers," the wall didn't remind him.

"I know," Syaoran complained. "Is there anyone else alive around here?"

The wall didn't mention a mad sorcerer.

"What does that bozo want, anyway?" Syaoran nearly rocketed to his feet when cold fingers clasped around his ankle, the cold skin only separated by a thin cover.

"Please stop," Hiiragizawa complained sleepily.

"Don't scare me like that!" Syaoran snapped.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Er…" Damn it! This is not what I wanted to happen, Syaoran complained mentally.

"I thought so," Hiiragizawa murmured, a slight smile quirking the corners of his mouth. "Can you please talk to yourself a little more quietly?"

"I am not talking to myself," Syaoran grumbled.

"Is that so?"

Before Syaoran could defend himself again, the sound of metal engaging with metal filled the small cell. Eriol sat up as quickly as his aching body would allow. Both teens looked apprehensively towards the door as it slowly swung open.

Edward Winston, or rather Edgar Winfordshire, stepped into the concrete room, looking very trim. He also looked warm and well-fed, Syaoran noted sourly. The mad magician didn't bother to close the door behind him, but it was most likely not because he felt over-confident of his ability to keep the two youths before him from escaping. Rather, despite the reincarnation showing much less magical power than Clow Reed, Winfordshire still had a healthy respect for his ability and was leaving the door open in case he needed to quickly escape. Even without his staff, Clow had been capable of casting intricate spells.

"Hello," the man said smugly in Cantonese. Syaoran had hoped for a "good morning" or "good evening" so they could get a sense of the passage of time. "I am glad to see that you're both awake."

Syaoran would have jumped to his feet to confront the man but his frozen legs wouldn't unfold enough for him to stand. From his seated position he demanded, "Let us go."

"No," the mad magician replied, not wasting any words. "Tell me, Li Xiaolang, what do you think your life is worth to the Li Clan? Forty million(1) Hong Kong dollars?" He pulled out a leather-bound pad of paper and a fountain pen. He held the pen over the paper and waited expectantly for an answer. Syaoran's mouth dropped open. "Well? I don't think I'm asking too much from the richest family in Hong Kong, especially for their heir."

"You can't ransom me!" Syaoran protested. Being held for ransom was something that happened to _girls_, not the brave heir to the Li Clan. It was insulting.

"I can," Winfordshire answered, again succinctly. "If you don't have a better suggestion, I'll leave it at forty million. If you'll excuse me, that is all I wanted."

"Wait a minute!" Syaoran called. "What is he worth?" He jerked his thumb in Hiiragizawa's direction. He didn't want to be the only one being ransomed. Eriol pinched Syaoran for directing the mad sorcerer's attention to him.

"It doesn't matter," Winfordshire replied with a shrug. "I'm not giving him back." He exited the cell. The sound of the door slamming shut resounded in the small area. Syaoran glanced over at Hiiragizawa, who was quite white in the face.

"Don't listen to that bastard. Neither of us are staying here," Syaoran informed him determinedly. Eriol only cringed slightly. Deciding that the English boy needed a little distraction, Syaoran changed the subject. "Do you think I'm worth forty million dollars?"

"It's up to your mother," Eriol said unhelpfully. The cell lapsed into silence as the two boys contemplated their futures. Eriol mused that he didn't have much to contemplate, considering his future looked very small.

* * *

"Onii-chan!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You can't stop us!" Meiling informed him, immediately going on the offensive. "We're going to rescue Syaoran-kun and Hiiragizawa-kun no matter what you say!"

"Three little girls cannot go on a rescue mission by themselves," Touya said impatiently. "Even if you have the Cards and a guardian."

"Onii-chan," Sakura moaned fearfully. She didn't want to have to hurt her brother so they could leave.

"That's why I'm going to go with you," Touya declared. The three girls looked shocked. Tomoyo was the first to recover.

"That's very kind of you, Touya-kun," she said graciously. "Your help would be appreciated."

"Why?" Meiling demanded suspiciously of the college student.

"Yue and Hiiragizawa-san's guardians have already left. I know that as soon as I turn my back, you three will be gone as well. I won't sit here by myself while everyone else is risking their lives. Besides, I have to make sure Yue doesn't let anything happen to Yuki."

Sakura launched herself at her brother, hugging him for all she was worth. "Thank you, onii-chan!"

"Well, it's great that you want to help and all, but now how are we going to get to the tomb? Can you carry three people, Kero-chan?" Meiling asked.

"No," the guardian admitted.

"So, what are we going to do?" she demanded of the rest of the group.

"Author's whim?" Sakura suggested faintly.

"We don't need an author's whim," Kero argued. "Sakura, your magic is much stronger now. I'm sure you can use a combination of Windy and Float to get us all there quickly."

"You're right," Sakura replied with determination. She pulled out her key and summoned her wand. "FLY! Give me wings so I can soar in the clouds. FLOAT! Carry onii-chan, Tomoyo-chan, and Meiling-chan. WINDY! Help us to our destination with great speed." The three cards activated, excited to be doing something again. Soon, the five of them were on their way.

"I still think this is somewhat of an author's whim," Tomoyo commented to her two traveling companions on Float.

"It's getting us there, isn't it?" Meiling pointed out.

* * *

"I suppose we should have expected this," Fujitaka commented to his irritated hostess. "This seems to be the pattern, recently." He was referring to the younger generation taking off without telling anyone their plans. It had just been discovered that Sakura, her older brother, Tomoyo, and Meiling had left , undoubtedly to rescue their friends. It made Fujitaka feel marginally better that Touya was with Sakura but that was negated by the fact that now the father had to worry about his son as well.

"I would accuse your group for this string of rashness but I have no doubt that Meiling was the instigator in their flight," Yelan said crisply.

"What do you suppose we do about it?" Fujitaka asked.

"Someone has to be reasonable here," Yelan said shortly.

"Well then, if you don't mind, I'd like to be unreasonable for once. Both of my children are out there, as well as a few others I care deeply about. I'd like to try my luck undermining this Winfordshire person." Fujitaka stood resolutely.

"Winfordshire?"

"Yes. In your library, Hiiragizawa was looking for the name of the magician. In Clow's journal, the name was Winfordshire, not Winston," Fujitaka explained.

"I see. But the facts still remain, Kinomoto-san, that you neither speak any Chinese language fluently, nor do you know your way around China, nor do you know how to use your magic potential," Yelan reminded him none too gently.

"I'll be all right," he insisted, borrowing his daughter's unbeatable spell. "I can learn and I can improvise."

"You don't have time to learn everything you'll need and not enough experience to improvise. I suppose this means I will have to go with you," she decided. Fujitaka grinned. The Chinese woman tried to appear as if it was a great inconvenience to join him but he knew that she was just as impatient to retrieve their young ones as he was. "However," she continued. "I will not simply run out into the world without a purpose and specific intent. First, I want to speak with this Yi-sensei myself." Fujitaka had no choice but to agree. He was somewhat pacified by the fact that he hadn't felt anything strong from Eriol. He was fairly certain that if this madman managed to destroy half of his soul, Fujitaka would notice.

A knock sounded on the door. Yelan called out for the servant to enter. The young girl entered bearing a silver tray on which a letter rested. Yelan slit open the envelope briskly and pulled out the perfectly folded paper. Her eyes scanned the note quickly as it wasn't very long. Her eyes darkened as her brows furrowed.

"What is it?" Fujitaka asked.

"A ransom note." Fujitaka sucked in his breath at that.

"For how much?"

"Forty million Hong Kong dollars. That is about 550 million Japanese yen."

"For both of them?" Fujitaka asked hopefully. It was a lot of money, but to get the two boys back without a huge fuss would be worth it to him.

"For Xiaolang," Yelan replied, dashing some of his hopes. "He makes no mention of Clow's reincarnation." She crumpled the note in her fist.

"What will you do?"

"I will get my son back, no matter what the price," she stated with conviction. "Kinomoto-san, call your professor friend. I need to speak briefly with the Li elders."

_tbc..._

(1) That's a little more than 5 million U.S. dollars.


	17. Chapter 17

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. The ransom for Syaoran is a lot, but I figured for as rich as most people think his family is, they could afford it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

The wait until Winfordshire's next visit was much shorter than the last. Eriol was sure he could have waited forever to see the mad magician again. His forever only turned out to be about two hours long.

"The ransom demand has been delivered," the Englishman informed them. "The Li Clan has five days to meet my demand. Then, they get a slight reduction in price for the return of your body," he sneered at the Chinese boy. Syaoran glared as darkly as he could at the magician.

"I'll make sure you never see a dollar of that money," Syaoran vowed.

"You have no magic and no weapons, boy. I doubt you'll be causing me much trouble. Now, we only have five days to complete the second part of my plan so we best get started. Come with me, Clow Reed."

Eriol stared at him blankly.

"Are you deaf now?" Winfordshire demanded angrily.

Eriol pointed to his own chest in a "Who, me?" gesture. "Sorry, I thought you were asking for Clow Reed."

Winfordshire stormed across the cell in two long strides and backhanded Eriol across the face hard enough to send him crashing into Syaoran. "Get on your feet, Hiiragizawa," the man barked. Instead of getting on his feet, Eriol used one of them to kick Winfordshire in the shin. With a cry of rage, the Englishman summoned his magic. Eriol threw up a shield, ignoring the burn it caused to use his magic. He refused to go down without a fight, especially when not only his own life was in the balance. The magic attack deflected but Eriol couldn't hold the shield for long in his weakened state. The instant the spell dropped, Winfordshire attacked again. However, he aimed his attack at the defenseless Syaoran.

Syaoran crashed against the opposite wall with a cry of pain and then slumped forward, unconscious. "Get up right now or I will end his insignificant life," Winfordshire threatened. "Twenty million dollars is still a lot of money." Eriol had no choice but to comply. He bit his lip in pain as Winfordshire gripped his upper right arm painfully and propelled him from the room.

When Syaoran awoke a few minutes later, he was completely alone.

* * *

Yi Liang grudgingly agreed to speak with Li Yelan and Fujitaka Kinomoto. At first he had refused due to a combination of fear that he would be dragged back into the mess and fear that Yelan would take out her wrath on him for not protecting her son. However, Fujitaka had been patient and kind to his colleague and eventually Yi agreed to meet them on neutral ground.

"Please, Yi-sensei, tell us what happened in your office," Yelan said to start the conversation in Japanese. Her tone was impersonal and her request to the point. She didn't want to waste any more time than necessary.

"I can't recall very clearly," Yi hedged. "It was a trying situation for me."

"I'm sure it was," Yelan replied unsympathetically. "You must remember what happened before Winston-san arrived."

"I don't think my memories are accurate. The police clearly thought I was imagining things."

"The difference between the police and me is that I am experienced in magic whereas they are not. Tell me about the memory card that the boys wanted to see."

"Did you know that the Japanese-English boy is the reincarnation of Clow Reed?" Yi stared off into space for a minute, imagining how wonderful it would have been to speak with the reincarnation without a crazy sorcerer destroying his office in the middle of it.

"To some extent, yes," Yelan replied, purposely keeping Fujitaka's identity a secret. "That's not what I'm asking you, though, Yi-sensei."

"Of course. Well, Clow-sama was able to project the memory onto the wall, like watching a film, and translated the words into Cantonese. It showed a man being buried in a magical tomb by Clow-sama himself. Come to think of it, the man being buried looked a lot like Winston."

"Did you recognize the tomb?"

"Yes, it was the one discovered a bit ago where all the archaeologists vanished."

"You are sure?"

"Quite sure. You wouldn't be able to return to the site now, though. It seems to have completely disappeared."

"What do you mean, disappeared?" Fujitaka questioned.

"It's like it's not there anymore," Yi qualified. "If you approach the area where the site is supposed to be, you just see an empty field."

"An illusion or shield," Yelan deduced. "Is there anything else pertinent that you can tell us, Yi-sensei?"

"Well, Winston-san seemed to have already meet Clow-sama's reincarnation in England."

"I see. Thank you for your time, Yi-sensei. Please let us know if you think of anything else." Yelan rose abruptly to signal the end of the conversation. Fujitaka stood as well.

"You're welcome," Yi replied. The two parents departed from the meeting place to discuss their next course of action. Yelan was quite upset.

"That was a waste of time. He didn't tell us anything that we could not have figured out on our own."

"He confirmed a few things," Fujitaka pointed out. When Yelan didn't seem impressed, Fujitaka asked, "What should we do now?" He wanted to head to the tomb site right away.

"Give me a moment," Yelan told him. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number from memory. Shortly thereafter, she spoke brusquely in Cantonese to the person on the other end of the line. Fujitaka listened curiously, even though he didn't understand much of the one-sided conversation. Yelan snapped the phone shut and turned to her companion. "We shall return to the mansion where the Li private jet is waiting for us. It will take us to the tomb. During the flight, we shall begin training your magic."

"Shall we go then?" Fujitaka suggested, looking around for a bus stop. He was startled when a familiar limousine appeared before them.

"I do not ride the public buses," Yelan informed him impatiently. They slipped into the limousine which peeled away from the curb as soon as the door shut. Yelan turned to Fujitaka. "What exactly do you know about your magic, Kinotomo-san?"

"I can see people's auras when I touch them," he admitted. "I can see my wife."

"That is it?" Yelan asked incredulously.

"I haven't really needed it," Fujitaka replied defensively. "Things have been calm in Tomoeda and Sakura-san has handled anything that does come up, usually before I even realize something has happened."

"That isn't an excuse. What if the children were all missing and it was up to you to find them?" Her tone was soaked in sarcasm as she described their current situation.

"It's never too late to learn," Fujitaka answered optimistically.

"Well then," Yelan said with a sigh. She started his crash course in the usage of magic right then. By the time they reached the mansion, where the private jet was already waiting for them, 

Fujitaka's head was spinning with the intense information dump he had just experienced. He hadn't even realized all there was that he didn't know.

_tbc…_

Sort of a transition chapter. Has anyone suspicions yet about who Winfordshire/Winston is?


	18. Chapter 18

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you, reviewers. Good guesses for who Winfordshire is, too.

Quick note: During their captivity, Eriol and Syaoran speak to each other in Cantonese. I didn't forget the Japanese honorifics. I don't think they have them in Chinese. :-/

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

When Syaoran awoke a few minutes later, he was completely alone.

"No!" he yelled, pushing himself to his feet. He pounded his fists against the metal door. "Eriol! Eriol! Don't touch him, you bastard! I will kill you!" He continued to yell for his missing peer until his voice gave out on him and he had to slump to the floor in tearful frustration. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until the door opened a while later, waking him up. There was a dull thud as something heavy landed on the concrete ground near Syaoran's feet. The door slammed shut again.

"Damn it," Syaoran cursed as he kneeled over Eriol's prone form. "Eriol? Eriol?"

"'M fine," Eriol muttered. He tried to push himself off the floor but his arm failed him and he collapsed back to the ground. He gave a grunt of pain and decided that wasn't going to work for a few more minutes. He shifted onto his back and raised his other hand to his face, pressing the back of it under his nose where a steady trickle of blood seeped down. He tried not to think about what damage the mad magician could have done to his head to make his nose bleed. It probably had something to do with the pounding migraine he had that prevented him from seeing more than blurry images and made it difficult to hear his descendent over the ringing in his ears.

"What did he do to you?" Syaoran questioned worriedly. He sniffled and silently cursed his watering eyes. Now was definitely not a good time to start crying again. He had to be strong. He could see a dark bruise forming under Eriol's right eye from when Winfordshire had struck him in their cell. A quick scan of his friend's body also revealed scrapes and shallow cuts on his bare legs and feet. "What happened to your legs?"

"I was habing a hard time walk-ig, so he 'adta drag 'e back here," Eriol said with a cynical laugh. He regretted it when his head hurt even worse, if that was possible, and the laughing turned to dry coughing.

"It's not funny," Syaoran chided him.

"No, id's not," Eriol agreed. He closed his eyes and rested his heavy head on the cold concrete. Syaoran took his blanket and wet the corner in the bucket of water that had been left with their blankets. Eriol protested when he felt the damp cloth press against his shin. "Sabe the wat'r for drink-ig."

"Sit up then so I can see your nose," Syaoran instructed with a sigh.

"Id's not by nose," Eriol said painfully. "Id's sub-thig up 'ere." He weakly motioned to his head. "I jus' need to sleep."

"Maybe sleeping isn't the best idea," Syaoran said skeptically. "You might have a concussion."

"No. Sleep-ig is bery good idea," Eriol insisted. "Turn off th' lights?"

"They don't turn off," Syaoran informed him. His worry was making him short tempered. He hoped that Eriol knew what he was talking about and wouldn't be hurt by sleeping. Syaoran laid his blanket on the ground and sat down on it. He tugged on Eriol, despite the other's protests, until Eriol could rest on the blanket as well with his head pillowed on Syaoran's lap. Syaoran covered them both with Eriol's blanket. Far too quickly, Eriol was asleep. Syaoran contemplated anew how to take back his magic and bust them out of there. He was distracted by dark thoughts about what could have happened to the reincarnation during his time out of the cell.

He would be finding out himself, soon enough.

* * *

The dusty snow scattered as magic rippled through the air. When it settled in new piles, four humans and a winged lion could be seen. The girl with light hair lifted her hand to call back the three cards she had used to transport the small group to their current location.

"I sense strong magic," Sakura commented when they reached the area where Meiling claimed the tomb was located. The other two girls looked towards her expectantly.

"Where is the tomb?" Tomoyo questioned, looking around curiously. It looked to her like an empty field with a few large boulders scattered around.

"Are you sure that you know where you're going?" Kerberus demanded of Meiling.

"Yes," the Chinese girl snapped. "It should be right here."

"It is an illusion," spoke a monotone voice. Touya, who knew that voice better than even Sakura, could hear the underlying irritation at their presence.

"Yue-san!" Sakura explained, immediately feeling guilty at seeing her guardian who had warned her to stay in Hong Kong.

"Why are you here?" the Moon guardian questioned, shifting his glance between Sakura and Kerberus. Kerberus ruffled.

"We have every right to try to rescue the kid and Hiiragizawa-san," he insisted, glaring at his counterpart.

"Don't be angry, Yue-san," Sakura pleaded as she clutched her wand to her chest. Yue ignored her to focus his attention on Touya.

"You let your sister put herself at risk, Touya-kun?"

"I'm here," Touya replied. "I can help, too."

"It is not my place to question the Mistress of the Cards," Yue conceded unhappily, his icy blue eyes passing over Sakura once more. The girl in question looked very upset at his displeasure.

Two more guardians alighted behind Yue. Ruby Moon looked curiously at the new arrivals. "What are you doing here?" she asked. It said a lot about her preoccupation with her master's safety that she didn't glomp Touya or Sakura.

"We came to help you," Kerberus replied. "So stop looking pissy, Yue-san, and tell us what you've learned so far. What is this illusion?"

"There is a shield around the area where the tomb is," Spinel Sun responded in his deep voice. "It prevents even those with magic from entering. To keep naïve passer-bys from stumbling upon the shield, the illusion was cast to make it look like an empty field."

"So break the shield and the illusion," Kerberus stated impatiently.

"We've tried," Ruby Moon answered. "Neither Yue-san's nor my crystals or arrows can pierce it, nor can Spinel Sun's attack."

"Hoe," Sakura cried quietly. There was very little that her guardians couldn't overcome. In the past, only spells cast by Clow Reed (or Eriol) had managed to stop them.

"Try Sword," Tomoyo suggested, remembering how Sakura had used the blade to cut through her own shield to release Tomoyo's treasure box.

"Okay," Sakura agreed. She walked forward a few feet and then stopped. "Um, where is the shield?"

Spinel Sun turned away from the group and directed his attack towards the empty field. A few meters away, it deflected, shooting out towards the sky. Sakura nodded once she was sure of the location of the shield. She pulled a Card out of her skirt pocket and tossed it into the sky.

"SWORD!" she yelled, bringing her wand up to the card. Magic swirled around her before concentrating on her staff. When the tendrils of pink dissipated, Sakura was holding aloft Sword. With two hands, she brought it down on the shield. Seconds later, she was lying in the snow, her arms tingling with the aftershock of striking the impermeable shield.

"It didn't work!" Memories of the helplessness she felt when first confronted by Eriol assaulted her and she feared she wouldn't be able to do anything to help her most precious person or close friend.

"What happened?" asked Meiling as she helped Sakura climb back to her feet.

"There is nothing that Sword cannot cut," Kerberus informed the unbroken shield, which didn't seem all that impressed considering it was still there.

"Whoever is sustaining the shield will have felt that," Yue commented as he looked around warily for attackers. No one appeared immediately.

"POWER! Lend your strength to Sword," Sakura requested, pulling out the next card. She struck the shield again to the same result. She tried again a few feet to the left. After the third try, she had to stop due to her aching arms.

"There must be a weak spot, somewhere," Ruby Moon insisted. "This spell is too powerful to be maintained over such a large area."

"But where? We don't have the time to bang against every inch of the shield," Touya reminded them. "Especially if they know we are here, now." He glanced at Yue.

"Then let's think about this logically," Tomoyo suggested.

"You're right, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura agreed. She took a deep breath.

"We should think logically in someplace less exposed," Meiling reminded them. She, too, was looking around warily.

"Use Illusion," Kerberus suggested. Sakura pulled out the Card and cocooned them in the spell.

"Let's get down to business," Meiling stated. "Where would you put the weak spot?"

"If it were my spell, I would place it where someone isn't likely to go anyway," Tomoyo offered. "Perhaps one side is never accessed by wanderers?"

"No, that would be risky, especially if someone is trying to get in," Meiling argued. "Other people know about this tomb and might be looking for it."

"I know!" Sakura announced. "Shield is dome-shaped, blocking everything from the sides _and_ the top. It's more efficient than a cube-shaped shield, so this one is probably a dome as well. A normal person wouldn't be able to drop in from the top, so that is the place never accessed by wanderers."

"I think you're right, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"So it's just a matter of flying up there and sticking your sword through it," Meiling surmised.

"Except," Ruby Moon spoke up, "We have already tried breaking into the top." The fact that the guardians were still without Syaoran and Eriol showed that it hadn't worked.

"Sakura-chan, did you notice something strange about the shield when you struck it?" Touya asked casually.

"Huh?"

"It felt like the magic fluctuated right before you hit it." Sakura paused and tried to remember sensing something similar. In defeat, she realized she hadn't noticed. "Try again," Touya urged.

Sakura called out Sword again and approached the invisible shield. She made sure to concentrate on the magical energy as she raised her weapon to strike. A millisecond before the metal made contact, the magic shifted and concentrated at the point of impact, strengthening that portion of the shield.

"You're right, onii-chan!" Sakura cried. "The shield focuses its power where the attack comes from to strengthen it, so the entire shield is impassable."

"Then what can we do?" Meiling demanded in frustration.

"You have to attack from more than one location," Tomoyo surmised.

"You would have to attack every spot at the same time," Yue countered. "There aren't enough of us with magic to do that."

"There must be something that I can do," Sakura mumbled. "Everything will be alright."

"Can't Thunder and Mist attack more than one point at the same time?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes, but Sword is the only one who can break a shield," Sakura replied sadly. She pulled out her deck of Cards and fanned them out, looking for help in their familiar faces. The two Cards in question, Thunder and Mist, glowed briefly so Sakura took them out of her pile. "What is it?" she inquired.

The others watched curiously as Sakura communicated with her Cards. Suddenly, her face brightened and she looked up at her companions excitedly. "Tomoyo-chan, you're a genius. I might not be able to break the shield with Thunder or Mist, but if I use them to attack every point at the same time, it will force the magic to spread evenly and also weaken it, so Sword should work!"

"You'd be using Thunder, Mist, Fly, and Sword all at the same time, Sakura-chan," Kerberus reminded her worriedly. "Plus, you used Float, Fly, and Windy to transport us all the way here."

"Don't worry, Kero-chan," Sakura said with determination. "I feel fine and even if I didn't, I won't let that mean sorcerer hurt my friends any longer."

"Let's try it then!" Meiling shouted. She faced the shield with fire in her eyes. She couldn't wait to kick some mad sorcerer butt.

"Okay!" Sakura agreed. She reached for the Cards she would need but before she could summon their magic, Yue noticed the presence of another very strong magical being.

"The sorcerer!" Meiling cried, pointing her sword in the direction Yue indicated. She also pulled out a few throwing stars for good measure.

"No, it's not," Ruby Moon argued. The aura was very familiar to her and was not that of a deranged magician. "Kaho-san?" she called out cautiously. As they waited for the unknown person, Sakura pulled out Create and Mirror as well, her brow creased with confusion. The cards seemed to be trying to warn her about something but she couldn't understand. It was especially discomfiting that Mirror could not express herself.

"Hello, Ruby Moon," greeted the ex-math teacher. Kaho Mizuki stepped out from behind one of the boulders, followed by a man that the Tomoeda group had never seen before.

"Mizuki-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I shall tell you, but first let me introduce you to my husband."

_tbc…_

A/N: The upcoming chapters 19 and 20 are my favorites to date. Please let me know what you think. Feedback and constructive criticism are most welcome.


	19. Chapter 19

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you reviewers! Kaho explains herself in Chapter 20, I think. It was sort of exciting; I didn't expect her entrance to gain so much attention. :)

Chapters 19 and 20 are personal favorites of mine, lol.

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Syaoran awoke from his light doze many hours later when Eriol weakly pushed himself into a sitting position next to the Chinese boy. Syaoran tugged back some of the blanket that Eriol took with him when he moved - it had been slightly warmer with the reincarnation using him as a pillow and now that extra heat was gone. Under the guise of making sure the pale sorcerer didn't collapse to the side, Syaoran squished up next to Eriol. He was seriously starting to lose feeling in more than just his toes and he was willing to let his pride suffer for some minor warmth.

Eriol didn't seem to mind, though Syaoran wondered if he even realized the contact. His half-lidded blue-gray eyes were focused on an invisible spot somewhere beyond their bare feet.

"Eriol?" Syaoran questioned after clearing his throat. The combination of cold, yelling, and disuse had put a frog in his throat.

"Hm?" Eriol acknowledged without moving. That gave Syaoran confidence that at least the slightly older boy was aware of his surroundings.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Many things."

"Like what?" Syaoran prodded impatiently.

"The memory card, for one," Eriol admitted. "There was something strange about it. I wondered about it again, when I was with Winfordshire." A short cough followed his statement.

"Stranger than Clow burying a man alive in a magical tomb?" Syaoran thought that behavior was rather out-of-the-ordinary, even for someone as strange as Clow.

"Well…" Eriol trailed off, following his skipping thoughts with a bit of difficulty. Concentrating too hard threatened to bring his headache back and his sore throat was another big distraction. "Clow wouldn't bury someone alive," he reminded himself out loud.

"We saw for a fact that he did," Syaoran argued.

"I think… I think…"

"What?" Syaoran asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I think Winfordshire was already dead. The dialogue at the beginning… they spoke of his death in the past tense."

"You must have misunderstood," Syaoran inferred. "Winfordshire was very much alive in the memory and he still is, right now."

"Maybe," Eriol conceded but he didn't look entirely convinced. He wished his head didn't hurt when he tried to remember clearly the memory. He had been sure the first few sentences were in the past tense and had only switched the present tense when Winfordshire started making his threats. And then the day before… Winfordshire hadn't seemed… real, almost. Eriol put that thought away. Winfordshire was real in Clow's journal and the memory card, like Syaoran had said, and the pain Eriol was feeling was definitely not something imaginary. It just didn't make sense.

After Eriol had been silent for a few minutes, Syaoran asked, "What happened while you were gone?"

Eriol cringed at the question, obviously thinking of something painful, but he didn't refuse to answer. After a minute of silence he said, "I learned a few things." Syaoran raised an eyebrow expectantly. "He explained to me his version of the relationship between him and Clow Reed." Eriol coughed slightly around his dry throat. "He told me what he wants from me and what he plans to do after collecting your ransom."

"I want to shove that ransom money down his throat," Syaoran declared angrily. "What did he say he wanted?"

"Clow's secrets," Eriol replied, followed by a slightly longer coughing spell.

"That could take a century," Syaoran commented, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Your secrets alone could take half that time, let alone Clow's." He made sure to carefully designate between the reincarnation and the original now that he understand Eriol's aversion to being referred to as Clow Reed.

"I haven't even been alive for a century yet," Eriol reminded him wryly, finally glancing at his descendent out of the corner of his eye. The long sleep had dealt with some of the blurriness, though having his glasses would have gone a long way, too, and his ears had stopped ringing.

"I guess not," Syaoran said as he shook his head. "What secrets of Clow's did he want?"

"He wants to create his own guardians and have the ability to reincarnate himself. That, or live forever." Eriol coughed into his hand, his whole body shuddering. Syaoran felt helpless to do anything. Once the fit had passed, Eriol discretely wiped his palm across an exposed portion of his shirt. He hoped the dark fabric would hide the flecks of red from Syaoran's keen eyes.

"If he was alive when Clow was, then he must already know how to prolong his life," Syaoran countered.

"I'm not sure what he did, or what Clow did, but he's not powerful enough to live forever," Eriol told him, his suspicions still nagging at him. "If he's sustained his physical body on magic for this long, he won't be able to do it forever."

"If he's not strong enough for that, how does he expect to create and sustain guardians, or reincarnate? Those both take an immense amount of magic."

"They do," Eriol agreed. "With Clow's magic, in addition to his own, he'll probably have enough."

"So he wants you to help him?"

"Not exactly," Eriol answered enigmatically.

"You said you were going to honest with me from now on," Syaoran reminded him, glaring slightly.

"Old habits, yeah?" Eriol coughed again. He swallowed thickly and decided he wasn't a big fan of the taste of iron. "Sorry. He wants me to tell him how to create and reincarnate and then he wants me to turn over Clow's magic to him."

"What?!" Syaoran exclaimed. "You're not going to do that, are you?"

Eriol gave Syaoran a look that questioned his intelligence. "Of course not, Xiaolang. The man is mad and dangerous. He doesn't need any more power than he already has."

"I suppose he didn't take your refusal very well?"

"Not very well," Eriol confirmed as he tried to shift his position carefully. It still hurt to breathe, let alone move any of his aching joints. "I promised Tomoyo that I would fight back and I plan to honor that promise."

"Because you promised Daidouji, or because you want it for yourself?"

Eriol looked surprised at the question. "You're impossible to talk to, Xiaolang."

"No, I'm impossible to lie to, _Eriol_," Syaoran corrected. This made Eriol laugh until he couldn't breathe, at which point he toppled over onto his cute descendent. "Why is that funny?" the Chinese boy demanded, pushing the English boy back into a sitting position. He scowled until Eriol managed to catch his breath enough to respond.

"Yamazaki," Eriol gasped, falling into giggles again. Syaoran felt his face heat up at the mention of his classmate who was a notorious liar. "After Sakura, you are the most gullible person I know."

"Yamazaki never means any harm," Syaoran argued defensively. "You are always full of malicious intent when you lie." Eriol continued to giggle with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands clasped around his knees. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I think so," Eriol replied. He forced himself to stop acting silly. "I'm hungry."

"Well, you should have eaten breakfast, whenever that was." It really bothered Syaoran that he wasn't sure how much time had passed since their capture.

"Hm. I wasn't hungry then." The two teenagers sat in silence for a few minutes until Eriol spoke again, this time seriously. "How is your quest to regain your magic going?"

"It's not," Syaoran replied sourly. "Any suggestions?"

"Nope. I've never had to break out of that spell before. I've just heard that it can be done."

"You are not helpful at all."

"Then I am getting good practice," Eriol said cheerfully. "I won't be very helpful to the madman, either."

"You still haven't told me what he did to you," Syaoran stated. "I don't think not-answering a bunch of questions about magic is what got you into the state you're in."

"I don't want to traumatize my cute little descendent," Eriol responded in the same upbeat tone. As much as he hated being kept in the dark, Syaoran realized that Eriol was probably being truthful for once.

"You don't have to pretend for me," Syaoran informed him glumly. "I can handle it."

"Who said I was pretending for _you_? I am pretending for _me_." Eriol started to cough again and as he tried to unsuccessfully hide the blood-colored phlegm, Syaoran understood just how terrified Eriol was of how this was going to end. Even if he felt like a damsel in distress being ransomed back to his family, at least he knew there was a chance that their captor would release him in one piece. Eriol, on the other hand, would be dead whether he proved helpful or not, unless he managed to get himself out of this mess. If he felt as poorly as he looked, Syaoran doubted very much Eriol's chances of escape. He resolved to try even harder to find his magic, before it was too late for the reincarnation.

The sound of a key sliding into its lock filled the cell. Eriol's head shot up and he raised his right hand towards the door. His hand glowed red briefly as he mumbled a quick spell. Angry shouts reached their ears when the mad magician realized he couldn't open the door.

"You locked us in here?" Syaoran queried.

"I guess so. It was more supposed to lock him out." Death threats poured through the spaces between the door and the frame. Eriol inspected his nails. "If I know that he's planning to kill me no matter what in a few days, why should it bother me that he's threatening to do it now?" the sorcerer pondered. Syaoran smirked.

"It's refreshing to see your evilness focused on someone else for once."

"You're welcome."

"I wish I could understand more of what he's yelling," Syaoran said with a long-suffering sigh.

"Your English education leaves something to be desired?"

"I could chose between Japanese and English if I wanted to. Despite English being prevalently spoken in Hong Kong and China, it was also associated with _them_, and therefore not strongly promoted."

"Them being the Reeds?"

"Yeah. So I know enough English to get by in Hong Kong if I meet someone who doesn't speak Cantonese, but no colorful phrases like I'm sure he's spewing right now."

"It's actually pretty unoriginal," Eriol said dismissively. He jolted slightly when his weak spell was broken and the metal door swung open with enough force to put a crack in the stone wall. Winfordshire and two of his dark figure minions entered the room. The two teenagers could literally see steam pouring from Winfordshire's red ears.

"You would be wise to cease crossing me, immediately!" the mad magician warned in English, throwing a hand out in Eriol's direction. The impact of the magical attack threw the smaller sorcerer against the wall. Eriol let out an involuntary cry of pain when the back of his head made contact with the stone. Syaoran tried to stand up in order to shield the other teen but the hours on the cold, hard floor had made him stiff. He had only managed to reach a bent over position by the time Winfordshire reached him. The mad magician treated the Chinese heir to the same jaw-bruising backhand Eriol had experienced last time, sending Syaoran tumbling back to the ground. With the Chinese teen out of the way, Winfordshire fisted his hand in Eriol's dark hair and pulled the boy to his feet. "Do not test my patience, Clow Reed," he hissed into Eriol's face. To his henchmen he ordered, "Bring him!" in reference to Syaoran. Each of the dark figures grabbed one of Syaoran's arms and hauled him to his feet. They followed the mad magician out of the cell, who still controlled Eriol by a fistful of hair.

Thankfully for the dark minions, it was a relatively short walk to their destination. Syaoran fought like a cornered alley-cat to escape their clutches, not holding back from any sort of attack. However, he was suffering from a lack of food, water, and warmth, which slowed his assaults and weakened his blows. He was also trying to keep one eye on the stumbling reincarnation in front of him, so he was unable to free himself by the time they reached a fairly large room.

Winfordshire deposited Eriol in the dirt next to a low table. Manacles materialized at a muttered command from the mad magician, securing the reincarnation's ankles to steel pins embedded in the ground near the table's legs. He then turned and cast an immobilizing spell on Syaoran which effectively stopped his struggling.

Syaoran quickly realized what had happened and stopped trying to escape. He knew that to continue struggling would only tire him further without accomplishing anything. Instead, he tried to take in his surroundings so he would know what was available to him if he had the opportunity to escape.

The room was actually made mostly of tent canvas. At the far side of the enclosed area was a rock wall with a deep, dark hole cut out of it. Around the opening were old magical runes that Syaoran had only ever seen in books, never in practice. On rollers in front of the opening was a stone box, about two and a half feet wide and six feet long. Propped up against it was a stone tablet of the same dimensions. It all looked very familiar to the Chinese boy. In shock, he realized that it was the tomb from the memory card. It all made sense… the tent and the temporary structure where they were being held were the remains of the archeological dig that had freed the mad magician from his prison. A few modifications had been made, of course, but there was no denying what he was looking at.

He tore his eyes away from the tomb. A few feet away he could see a wooden table. Tossed on one end were the rest of his and Eriol's clothes. He was sure that all of the pockets and such had been turned inside out in search of useful or dangerous objects. He could see Eriol's key and a stash of his ofuda papers ensconced in a magical box. He didn't see his sword talisman, which gave him hope that it had been discarded with his clothes.

Another spell hit Syaoran. He didn't notice any change in his circumstances or feel any pain so he was confused as to what the spell was for. His question was answered when he could understand perfectly what the mad magician was saying - in English. It was a translation spell much like the one Eriol had used when they were playing the memory card. He looked towards the source of the spell. He was glad Eriol was trying to keep him in the loop.

"It is now time for the breaking of Clow Reed," the Englishman sneered, turning towards Eriol. The navy-haired teen had his face hidden in his folded arms on the tabletop. It looked like he was still struggling to recover from his brutal treatment in the cell but from his angle, Syaoran could see Eriol's index finger moving slowly across the wood of the table, tracing out some magical symbol.

"Here is the plan for today," Winfordshire announced. "Yesterday, I introduced Clow Reed to many of my favorite methods of gaining people's cooperation. Therefore, he knows just how persuasive I can be. Today, instead of the same old boring tripe, we shall try this: every time you don't do what I tell you to do, Clow Reed, Li Xiaolang over here will get to experience one of my techniques." Syaoran growled. First, he was being ransomed and now he was being used as collateral? It was enough to make steam come out of his ears.

Eriol's head came up at this proclamation and he stopped tracing symbols on the tabletop. He briefly made eye contact with his descendent before facing the mad magician. "I won't tell you anything," he said evenly.

"You're calling my bluff? Too bad I'm not bluffing."

"I'm wagering on how much twenty million dollars are you," Eriol retorted.

"Don't worry, I won't kill him. That wouldn't get me what I want from you. But he'll suffer, make no mistake." Winfordshire held up his own staff, which didn't shrink down into a cool little key, by the way, and pointed it at Syaoran. Very sharp knives appeared, all pointing in Syaoran's direction. With a silent command, Winfordshire sent the knives barreling towards the immobilized teenager. Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the impact which never came. At the last second, the knives scattered, clattering to the ground around Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes snapped open.

"How many times do you think you can deflect my spells before your energy runs out, Clow Reed?" Winfordshire taunted the panting teenager chained near the table. "Especially without anything to boost your power?" He was referring to the sealed key across the room.

"It won't run out," Eriol spat with determination.

"Not like your little spell back at the cell?" the magician returned patronizingly. He fired another spell in Syaoran's direction. This came a little too close for comfort in Syaoran's opinion as Eriol barely deflected the spell in time. The English boy's body shook with exertion. Syaoran could see how much it hurt the other teenager to use his magic. No wonder his nose had been bleeding and his coughs bloody. "What about this?" Fire licked at Syaoran's feet and steadily grew in size. The flame was no illusion - Syaoran could feel the burn on his frozen toes, which made it hurt all the worse. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

He could feel cooling air swirl around his ankles a moment later and the fire backed away marginally. Eriol's face was positively white and sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought the magical attack. To both of their dismays, the fire started creeping back in.

"Stop!" Eriol finally conceded. He braced himself with one hand on the table as his magic gave out. "I'll give you the spells!"

"Are you sure?" Winfordshire asked darkly. The flames around Syaoran burned hotter and the teenager couldn't stop a noise of pain from escaping him.

"Yes," Eriol barely managed to say. The flames died out but the burns remained on Syaoran's feet. "I'll need paper and ink."

"Why?"

"I've told you a hundred times already: I am not Clow Reed," Eriol replied angrily. "I need to write the words down to make sure Clow's memories are complete."

"Fine," Winfordshire agreed. With a flick of his wrist, a thin stack of papers and a fountain pen appeared on the table.

"It will probably take a while," Eriol warned him tiredly.

"You have one hour until I let the Chinese brat feel my power of persuasion again," Winfordshire agreed. "Start writing."

Eriol mustered his darkest scowl for the mad magician before slowly reaching out for a piece of paper and the pen. He immediately started marking the paper. He would write a few characters on a piece of paper and then discard it to the side when it wasn't what he wanted. Syaoran was close enough to see what was on the paper while Winfordshire sat on the other side of the room, near the wooden table with their belongings.

At first he thought the papers were simply unfinished attempts at either the reincarnation spell or the spell to create guardians. He was disappointed - he had thought Eriol could hold out longer than that. He knew that it was the other teen's compassion that made him give in, but was Syaoran's comfort really worth the hundreds of lives that the mad magician would probably ruin with his new magic knowledge?

His curiosity overruled his disappointment so he snuck a peak at one of the discarded papers. He had to admit that it would be interesting to know how to create a magical being like Yue or Kerberus, even though his magic would never be powerful enough. It was a mixture of Western and Eastern magic, wielded by a very strong magician, which had led to the creation of Clow's four guardians. The Li Clan only possessed ready access to the Eastern magic as their long dislike of the Reed side of the family eventually lead to the breeding out of the Western magic.

To his surprise, the spell he read was a complete spell and had nothing to do with reincarnation or creation. Eriol had actually cast a spell on the paper that would manifest at some later time, similar to how Syaoran's ofuda papers worked. Even more interestingly, the spell was written in Japanese. Syaoran's disappointment fled like rainclouds in the presence of the almighty sun. Of course Eriol wouldn't give in so easily. This was genius!

Half an hour later, Eriol ran out of paper and Syaoran hadn't seen a single spell that would be useful to the madman pass into the discard stack. It was almost all he could do to prevent a smile from crossing his face at Eriol's duplicity. When asked for more paper, Winfordshire walked over to the table to see what exactly Eriol had wasted the first stack on.

"What is this garbage?" he demanded, whacking Eriol on the shoulder with his staff - hard. Eriol clutched his aching joint with the opposite hand. Syaoran's anger jumped another notch. "This is nonsense!"

"It's Japanese," Eriol told him in a pained voice.

"Write the spells in English, you useless waste of magical talent," the madman ordered. He struck Eriol again, this time in the back.

"They won't work in English," Eriol ground out through the pain. "The guardian spell uses Eastern magic. It has to be written in an Eastern language!" He ducked when Winfordshire looked like he was going to strike him again. Syaoran grinned internally at the perfectly delivered lie. It went completely over their tormentor's head.

"Then write it in Cantonese," Winfordshire snarled.

"I don't know it in Cantonese," Eriol simpered. "I don't know enough of the language. Clow's memory of the spell is in Japanese, he created the guardians using Japanese. I'll teach you the words once I get the spell," he promised. Syaoran marveled. During their entire captivity, he and Eriol had spoken exclusively in Cantonese, as if Eriol had grown up speaking the language just like Syaoran had. Eriol was perfectly capable of translating the spell, but by keeping the words in Japanese, a language both of the teens knew well and the magician knew hardly any of, it gave them the advantage. The magician also seemed to forget that Eriol appeared to have understood what Yi had said, in Cantonese, in his office. That was how Eriol was going to get away with teaching Winfordshire how to turn his own hair green.

"You will teach me _every_ word," Winfordshire hissed, bringing the staff down hard on the back of Eriol's neck. The blow sent the teenager sprawling across the table.

"Stop it, you bastard!" Syaoran shouted, his vision clouded with red. He was so mad at the unfair treatment that he nearly missed the strange sensation deep in his chest. When he stopped to analyze it, he realized what it was. His magic! He tried to grasp it but it slipped away. Instead of feeling frustrated, it encouraged him. He just had to reach down deeper to grab hold of it.

"You stay out of this," Winfordshire snapped, sending a stunning spell towards Syaoran. Eriol could do nothing as the energy impacted with his descendent, knocking the wind out of him. Syaoran wheezed to regain his breath as Winfordshire refocused his attention on Eriol. "Are you close to remembering the spell?"

"Yes," Eriol managed to reply.

"Then get to it." More paper appeared. Eriol struggled to grasp the pen as the pain in his shoulders and back made his fingers tingly. His vision was swimming as he painstakingly wrote out the words to the guardian creation spell. He wrote it first in the Japanese characters, then under each character wrote out the equivalent phonetic spelling in the Western alphabet. He next started work on the reincarnation spell. He dropped his head to the table when he had finished. Sinisterly happy, Winfordshire approached the table again.

"Teach me the words," he demanded, grabbing Eriol's hair again and lifting his head off the table. He picked up the guardian spell. "Teach me this one."

Eriol pointed to the first word. "Power," he pronounced the Japanese word carefully. "That's power," he explained in English. Both Syaoran and Winfordshire listened closely to every syllable. "Of life," was the next part, followed by another brief meaning of the words in English. "Grant me. The ability." Each word was given the same treatment until the entire spell was strung together in Japanese with Eriol having given Winforshire a _very_ loose English translation. When he was content that he was comfortable with the spell in the foreign language, Winfordshire took the paper and moved to the center of the room to try his new magic.

"Power of life, grant me the ability to create lifeless idols of the form reflected in my own dark heart. Two there shall be, one with the power of a light bulb and the other with the power of cheese. CREATE!"

Magic swirled around the sorcerer before breaking away to form two spinning magical cocoons. Syaoran's hair whipped around his face due to the currents caused by the magic as he watched carefully to see what a light bulb (translated "sun" by Eriol) guardian and cheese ("moon") guardian would look like, especially if they were lifeless idols ("breathing guardians"). He didn't quite understand what cheese had to do with the moon, but Syaoran was sure Eriol must be suffering from a concussion by now from all the times Winfordshire had aimed a strike to his head.

The cocoons dissolved, leaving behind two lifeless idols. One was human in shape, with leathery wings and nails like claws. The other was a scrawny, mangy lion with the same reptilian wings. They hung in the air motionlessly.

"Why aren't they alive?" Winfordshire demanded. He swung his staff around and sent lightning in Syaoran's direction. The Chinese boy screamed as the currents raced through his body.

"You must not have enough power yet to give them life," Eriol deduced. Syaoran took deep breaths to control his pain. This is what Eriol had gone through all day yesterday? Syaoran's fury let him reach even further into himself in pursuit of his magic. He was so close. He just need a few more inches. If Eriol could still lie so convincingly while barely able to hold his head up, Syaoran could muster the strength to take back his magic.

"Then we will move on to the second stage of my plan," Winfordshire seethed. "Give me your magic and don't tell me that you don't know how. You siphoned off your magic into your useless Cards and you did it many times!"

"I don't have anything left to give you," Eriol responded with a spiteful smile. "You forced me to empty my reserves defending my descendent."

Syaoran had seen Eriol using more magic enchanting the first pieces of paper. He realized that Eriol was purposely using all of his magic so he wouldn't have anything to give at this point. It was an extremely risky move, one that Syaoran wasn't sure he would have had the guts to try if their positions had been reversed.

"How long will it take to recover enough to complete the transfer?"

"I need sleep, food, you to stop hitting me…" Eriol listed off. "A few hours at least. It's not an overly taxing spell."

"I'm going to kill the Chinese brat," Winfordshire informed him, pointing his staff at Syaoran. This is what Eriol had feared when he gambled with using all of his magic. For the first time ever since Syaoran had known him, panic flittered across Eriol's pale face.

That seemed to be the only cue Winfordshire needed to lower his staff. He smirked, content that Eriol really was out of magic and not pretending to get out of transferring it. To make doubly sure, he reached for Eriol's link to the magic, intending to send another surge, but there was only a thread to hold on to. Eriol was completely out of magic.

Suddenly, the mad magician stumbled as if he had been struck by the backlash of one of his spells. He glanced towards the ceiling of the tent, his features dark. "The concealment spell as been broken," he muttered angrily. "The Clow Cards are here." This realization caused Winfordshire's expression to go from anger to worry.

"Sakura!" both teens gasped in alarm.

"Damn it!" Winfordshire shouted. He knew that once his defenses were breached, he wouldn't be able to hold off someone wielding the Clow Cards. (It surprised him that the reincarnation was not in possession of the powerful cards but he didn't have time to worry about who was in possession and what that meant for his plan.) He had no choice but to finish his revenge, even if he didn't gain all the information he had wanted. The most important thing was that Clow Reed die, even if Winfordshire didn't gain his magic.

He stormed towards the table and the hurting reincarnation. "Your usefulness has run its course, Clow Reed!" Eriol's eyes widened in fear. Had he been given the time to regain some of his magic and plan a little more, he could have put this off for a while longer, but their rescue had come at the worst time. He could do nothing to defend himself as Winfordshire grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the stone chest and the open tomb.

"There's no food in there, but you'll get plenty of sleep," Winfordshire derided the struggling teenager as they moved closer and closer to the tomb. "An eye for an eye, Clow Reed. You buried me, I'll return the favor. But this time, you don't have any magic to sustain your life while you sleep. I doubt you'll regain enough to change that, either, before your air runs out."

"Let me go! Don't do this!" Eriol cried, desperately trying to slow their progress by digging his heels into the dirt and grabbing at anything that came within reach. He didn't want to die, especially like this.

"Stop! Stop!" Syaoran added his yells to the melee. "You sick, sick man!" He struggled for all he was worth against the immobility spell and to reach his magic as he watched in horror as Winfordshire easily lifted the kicking Eriol and dumped him unceremoniously into the stone box. 

Eriol latched onto Winfordshire's arm while begging for his life and insisting that he wasn't Clow Reed. He had never been so scared in his life as he faced one of mankind's greatest phobias.

Syaoran was a hair's breadth away from reaching his magic. Winfordshire pried Eriol's fingers away from his arm and backhanded him across the face again. It stunned the smaller sorcerer just long enough for Winfordshire to magically lift the stone lid and drop it over the top of the coffin.

"No! No! Help!" Eriol kicked and banged his fists on the stone lid for all he was worth but it wouldn't budge. The sound, though dulled and echoing, could clearly be heard by those on the outside.

"I will kill you!" Syaoran threatened the mad magician. "Let him go right now!" He was ignored. With a flick of his wrist, the stone coffin slid forward on its tracks, slamming home inside the tomb. Eriol's panicked cries for help were muted even more.

"The more you scream, Clow Reed, the faster your air will run out," Winfordshire laughed evilly. He raised his staff and the door to the tomb started to close.

"Stop! Stop!" Syaoran couldn't yell any louder but it still seemed like his voice wasn't reaching the mad magician.

The door settled into place. Syaoran couldn't hear Eriol anymore. The runes and outline of the door glowed yellow briefly as the tomb was sealed. After a few seconds, they returned to their normal stone color.

"Deal with the Clow Cards," Winfordshire ordered his dark henchmen. "Kill the Chinese brat." He started to leave the room but paused briefly at the wooden table where the teens' possessions were. In a fit of rage at the sight of Eriol's key, Winfordshire smashed his hand through the magical box, diffusing the spell. He grasped the key and threw it with all his might at the sealed door to the tomb. It was useless without the magic to go with it. He left in a flurry of unconcealed fury.

_tbc…_

Please let me know what you think. :D


	20. Chapter 20

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

**Please read:** There are only two completed chapters left after this, so please begin letting me know if you think this story is worth continuing.

**Thank you** to everyone who has reviewed up to this point.

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

"Mizuki-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I shall tell you, but first let me introduce you to my husband." Kaho turned to the man who stood at her side. "This is Hakushi Richard. He is a doctor and psychiatrist in England."

"It is nice to meet you, Hakushi-san," chorused the girls. Touya briefly shook the man's hand. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun already knew Mr. Hakushi very well and Yue seemed disinterested in meeting the new person. Kerberus eyed him curiously.

"I am pleased to finally meet all of you, as well," Mr. Hakushi said sincerely. "Kaho has told me much about all of you."

"How did you end up here?" Ruby asked curiously, her head tilted slightly to the side as she regarded her master's close friend.

"When we returned from our trip, I heard your message, Ruby. I tried calling those whom I know in Japan and finally reached Tomoyo-chan's mother. Daidouji-san told me that you had all gone to Hong Kong. Worried about Eriol and his guardians, we decided to make haste to Hong Kong as well," Kaho explained. "We stopped to refuel our plane at a small airport near here and I noticed the disturbance so we came to investigate. Richard remembered hearing about an archaeological dig around here that suffered a great tragedy."

"Syaoran-kun and Eriol-kun are trapped somewhere inside this shield and illusion," Sakura informed her past teacher sorrowfully. "We are planning to break the shield so we can rescue them."

"What is going on?" Mr. Hakushi asked. He and Kaho only knew briefly that someone was bothering Eriol and nothing beyond that. Sakura, with Tomoyo and Meiling's help, brought the two adults up to date on their adventure so far. Tomoyo even shared some of what Eriol had told her, feeling that the missing teenager wouldn't mind if Kaho knew. She had thought that the two were very close when they returned to England two years ago. Now, she was confused that Kaho was married to someone else. A strange feeling fluttered in her chest, something like hope, but she squashed it down.

"What are you planning to do to break the shield?" Kaho asked. She absently chewed on one of her nails as she worried about the young reincarnation. The situation was much more serious than she and her husband had suspected. Sakura told them about using a combination of Thunder, Mist, and Sword to break through the shifting spell.

"What will you do once the shield is broken?" Mr. Hakushi questioned rationally. The younger people looked at each other, realizing they hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Those dark figures are likely in there, ready to attack once the shield is down," Yue stated. "Sakura-chan will be quite tired after her numerous spells."

"We can take care of them," Meiling announced. She brandished her sword confidently.

"Someone will need to go into the area to find Syaoran-kun and Eriol-kun," Tomoyo added. "I won't be much help fighting, so I can do that."

"It will be very dangerous," Touya warned her protectively.

"I know," Tomoyo replied in a small voice. She squared her shoulders bravely.

"Yue-san, you should work with Spinel-san and Kerberus-san to ward off anyone who comes out to attack us. You will have an advantage being able to fight. Meiling-chan and Touya-kun can help you. You will also need to guard Sakura-chan," Kaho suggested. "Richard-san, Tomoyo-chan, Ruby-chan, and I can go in once the shield is broken to try to find the boys. Ruby-chan and I should have enough magic to protect ourselves."

"That sounds good to me," Ruby agreed impatiently.

"Let's just do something. This waiting is driving me crazy," Meiling informed them. "Besides, it's cold out here!"

The group hammered out the last details of their plan. When everyone was comfortable with what was going to happen, Sakura and the guardians took to the sky. They reached the top of the dome. "THUNDER! MIST! Weaken this shield," she commanded. The two Cards activated. Those on the ground had to shield their eyes as lightning illuminated the entire dome. The entire area disappeared from sight as Mist set to work, eating away at the magic. Once the two destructive Cards had enveloped the entire dome, Sakura summoned Sword. She brought the sharp weapon down, only to be deflected once more. In frustration, she pulled out two more cards. "ARROW! SHOT! Help me break the shield!" Together, with the help of the guardians, they attacked and finally the shield shattered and the illusion dispersed. Exhausted, Sakura's head drooped. Kerberus immediately flew underneath her. Once she had a secure grip on his fur, the lion guardian returned her to the solid ground where Tomoyo was waiting worriedly.

The smoke cleared, revealing the rock formation that was the tomb and the remains of the archaeological dig. The dome had been much larger than they initially realized which meant that the rescue group was still a significant distance from the actual site. The site was also somewhat down in a hole even though the illusion had made the ground look flat.

Dark figures began to emerge from the canvas that hid most of the dig. The guardians and those on the ground did their best to deter the figures while the rescue group prepared to approach the canvassed area. A few minutes after the beginning of the fight, Ruby noticed the back of a familiar head hurrying away from the tomb. She immediately surmised that it was the mad sorcerer. Without a word to her fellow guardians, she set off in pursuit, bow and arrow at the ready.

Just as Yue noticed her chasing their tormentor, lightning tore through the canvassed area, followed almost immediately by fire and strong winds. It was enough to force the remaining three guardians to the ground and those who were nearly to tomb to duck for cover. Once the aftermath of the three intense magical attacks cleared, Kaho and her husband started running towards the destroyed area, sure they were too late to find the boys after the magician had destroyed the area during his escape.

Sakura gave a cry of anguish, sure that the sorcerer had killed her boyfriend and friend out of spite. Tomoyo, herself in tears, hugged her tightly. Kerberus stood near them protectively, feeling a bit sad himself that he would no longer be able to tease the gaki. Meiling screamed curses, bringing down every Li family curse she could think of on the mad sorcerer who had stolen her cousin from her permanently. Yue swooped down into the mess after Kaho and Mr. Hakushi.

* * *

The private jet of the Li family was already in descent when the strong disruption of the magic put both Yelan and Fujitaka on alert. "Ying Fa," Yelan whispered, recognizing the power of the Sakura Cards.

"What's going on?" Fujitaka inquired fearfully. It was made worse when he recognized the Chinese name that his companion had given his daughter.

"Sakura-chan is using the Cards… many of them," Yelan replied distractedly.

The whole plane shuddered as the lightning and fire rampaged through the site of the tomb. Fujitaka looked over at the Chinese woman in fear as her fingers turned white with the strength she gripped the armrests. Yelan knew that magic.

* * *

"_Deal with the Clow Cards," Winfordshire ordered his dark henchmen. "Kill the Chinese brat." He started to leave the room but paused briefly at the wooden table where the teens' possessions were. In a fit of rage at the sight of Eriol's key, Winfordshire smashed his hand through the magical box, diffusing the spell. He grasped the key and threw it with all his might at the sealed door to the tomb. It was useless without the magic to go with it. He left in a flurry of unconcealed fury. _

"You will pay for this!" Syaoran screamed after him even as the dark figures advanced on him. "I will see to it myself!" He twisted once more and this time managed to grasp his magic. He hauled it out of the depths where his mother's spell had sent it. It erupted in him like a furious 

volcano. His eyes even glowed green as his aura exploded around him, instantly vaporizing his invisible bonds. He fell to his knees, but only briefly. His rage gave him adrenaline to jump back to his feet and face the advancing figures, who were advancing a bit more slowly now.

Syaoran, remembering that they were best dealt with by martial arts, leveled the first few adversaries with a series of well-executed moves. He snatched up the discarded spells Eriol had created to use up his magic and made his way to the wooden table and swept all of the clothes off the table, his eagle eyes watching for his talisman. It slipped out of the pile of clothes and rolled a few feet away. In the process of taking down a few more dark figures, Syaoran managed to scoop up the talisman. Within moments, he held his broadsword. He didn't even bother retrieving the ofuda papers. His sword flashed with magical potential as he raised it above his head. A command that he had learned but had never been able to use before flickered through his memory.

"RAITEI SHOURAI!" As he swung his sword at the figures the room filled with lightning. No one was left standing except for him once the smoke cleared. Syaoran shifted his sword to his left hand and raised his right, palm facing the sealed tomb. "Summon, key!" Eriol's key alighted off the ground and zipped to Syaoran's outstretched hand. Having secured the key, Syaoran switched sword hands again.

"KASHIN SHOURAI!" Fire poured from the tip of his sword and sped towards the sealed tomb. There was an explosion as rocks shot skyward, leaving a gaping hole in the front of the tomb. "Fuuka Shourai!" Something like a tornado tore through the room as Syaoran sent the power of the wind to pull the stone coffin out of remains of the tomb. The wind magic also pried off the lid and dropped it to the side, shattering it into many pieces.

The sword suddenly felt heavier than Syaoran could hold up. He dragged it behind him as he tripped and stumbled his way over to the side of the chest. He caught himself on the edge but couldn't lift himself up high enough to see if anyone was inside. His arms and legs turned to jelly as the adrenaline left him but he had to make sure Eriol was okay.

It was lucky for whoever snuck up behind him that he was so weakened. As soon as he sensed a magical presence, he tried to turn and strike the person down. Soft, gentle hands caught him as he fell and pulled him slightly away from the tomb.

"No, no! Eriol!" Syaoran protested as he was moved away from his goal. He reached out weakly with one hand while trying to squirm out of the careful but firm hold he was in.

"Shhh, be calm Li-kun," the female voice soothed in Japanese. "You are safe now. Eriol is safe now," she promised, stroking her long fingers over his dirty forehead. Someone that Syaoran recognized, namely the moon guardian Yue, came into his line of sight on the other side of the coffin. The guardian reached down into the stone case and lifted Eriol out. The reincarnation was silent but his body shook, assuring Syaoran that he was at least alive.

"See, he will be fine," the soothing voice said. "Let yourself sleep, Li-kun."

"Who…" Syaoran mumbled, craning his head so he could see her face. He blinked a few times to clear his eyesight, sure he was seeing things. However, the face remained the same, as did the warm brown eyes and the long reddish hair. "Mizuki-sensei?"

"Sleep," she repeated softly. She brushed her fingertips over his eyelids. Syaoran slept.

* * *

Syaoran awoke in a dark room with a white ceiling. He noticed quickly that he was laying on a bed instead of a thin blanket on a concrete floor and he was warm. It felt so good to be warm. He made a small sound of contentment which didn't go unnoticed by the other occupant of the room.

"Xiaolang?"

"Mother?" he replied, turning his head in the direction the voice had come from.

"How are you feeling?" the Chinese woman asked, moving from her seat near the window to stand at the edge of her son's bed.

"Warm," Syaoran answered happily. Yelan smiled and stroked some of his unruly bangs from his forehead.

"I am glad to hear it."

Syaoran's memories caught up with him. He tried to sit up so he could look around the room better but a pinch near his right elbow stopped him halfway up. He looked down to see an IV sticking out of his arm. He went to pull it out but his mother stopped him.

"Be calm, Xiaolang. The IV is there because you are fairly malnourished and dehydrated," she explained.

"Where is Eriol?" Syaoran insisted, not caring for the moment about his own condition. He remembered using a lot of magic and breaking open a stone tomb though he wasn't sure if Eriol had come out okay.

"He is in a different wing of the hospital," Yelan replied.

"He's okay?"

"He's alive." It didn't go over Syaoran's head that her answer didn't hold a lot of optimism.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I have been down here with you the whole time. When one of the others comes they will have more information."

"I have to see him for myself," Syaoran decided. He tried to get up again only to once again be restrained by his mother.

"We must wait for the nurse to come to say it is fine for you to move about the hospital. I think the reincarnation will still be there when you can see him."

Syaoran didn't have the energy to start a debate with his mother so he ignored her usage of the word reincarnation in reference to Eriol. He started another strain of conversation. "How long were we gone?"

"Four days," she replied softly.

"That madman didn't give us any food the whole time and only a small bucket of water. It was so cold."

"Tell me," Yelan encouraged him, glad that he was willing to talk about the experience. It would help them both in the near future if she knew what had happened during their captivity and he could unload any emotional strain.

"He was so violent," Syaoran said angrily. "He would hit Eriol at every opportunity and he attacked me with lightning." Yelan's shoulders tensed at that revelation. The doctor had mentioned that Syaoran looked as if he as sustained a mild electric shock. Fortunately, it hadn't caused any damage. She wished the magician hadn't managed to elude the rescue parties so she could show him what it felt like to be electrocuted. "Are you sure Eriol is all right?"

"I don't know, sweetie," she repeated. "What else did he do?"

Syaoran spent the next twenty minutes until the nurse came to check on them recounting what he could remember from the captivity. He was relieved that the mad magician hadn't been able to collect any ransom money.

The nurse agreed that Syaoran could leave his room for a short time as long as he allowed his mother to push him in a wheelchair. Syaoran protested but the nurse refused to agree otherwise. With a dark scowl, the Chinese heir let his mother help him into the chair. The nurse tucked a blanket over his lap and hooked the IV stand to the chair so it could go with them. Yelan slid slippers over the bandages on Syaoran's feet. The nurse let them leave the room and returned to her station.

Yelan pushed the wheelchair down the hall until they turned a corner and were out of sight from the nurses' station. She then stopped and walked around to the front of the chair and kneeled before her son. "Do you feel dizzy or weak?" she asked quietly.

"No," Syaoran answered stubbornly.

"Come on, then." She carefully pulled the IV needle from Syaoran's arm before helping her son to stand up from the chair. "Are you still well?"

"Yes," Syaoran assured her.

"Tell me if you feel unable to continue," she told him. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders while Syaoran wrapped one of his arms around her waist. While leaning on his mother for support, he could slowly make his way to the elevators. He was dismayed at how tired he was and how his feet hurt from the burns he had sustained. However, it wasn't so bad that he would admit to his weakness yet. He could be strong.

The elevator doors opened a few seconds later on the floor that contained the ICU. Syaoran commented on this. "He is very ill," was all Yelan could tell her son.

Near the ICU nurses' station they met a tall man with sandy blonde hair and tired smile whom Yelan seemed to recognize.

"Xiaolang, this is Mr. Richard Hakushi," she introduced in English.

"I am glad to see that you're awake, son," the man addressed Syaoran. Syaoran eyed him distrustfully for a moment before looking to his mother for help.

Yelan tsked. "How quickly you forget your studies, Xiaolang," she chided in Cantonese. In order to ease their conversation, she repeated what Mr. Hakushi had just said in Japanese.

"I'm sorry, I did not realize," Mr. Hakushi apologized, also in Japanese. "At least we have this one common language."

"Hakushi-san is a doctor of psychiatry in London. He did some of his school work in Tokyo," Yelan explained to her son. Syaoran didn't seem to care much. He was more worried about seeing his ex-classmate. Still, it would bode ill for him, injured or not, to act disrespectful to someone in front of his mother.

"It is nice to meet you," he mumbled. "Who are you?" he then asked more clearly, still looking at the man distrustfully. He had an aura about him that Syaoran knew could either be good or dangerous. He opted, as usual, to assume the man was dangerous until proven wrong.

Mr. Hakushi understood that it was more a question of why he was there instead of who he was, which Yelan had already addressed to some degree. This boy was just as his wife had described. "You don't recognize me since you were asleep the first time we met, Li-kun. However, you know my wife, Mizuki Kaho."

"You're married to Mizuki-sensei?"

"I am," the man answered proudly. "For about two weeks now. Kaho and I were on our honeymoon. Otherwise, she never would have let Eriol-kun leave London without telling her, first."

"So Mizuki-sensei is here. I remember her," Syaoran said. "She was at the tomb."

"Yes, she was," Mr. Hakushi confirmed.

"Can I see Eriol-kun now?" Syaoran directed this question at his mother. He was growing more and more tired but he wouldn't rest until he had seen with his own eyes that the English boy was alive.

"Well?" Yelan redirected the question to Mr. Hakushi.

"I don't suppose it would hurt. I am going down to the cafeteria to find some food. Would either of you like anything?"

"No, thank you," Yelan responded. Mr. Hakushi dipped his head in parting and let the mother and son pair continue towards the room he had left a few minutes earlier. Yelan knocked softly on the door. A familiar male voice called out for them to enter.

The small room was dominated by the bed in the center, surrounded by various beeping machines. On the opposite side of the bed from the door, near the head of the bed, Kaho sat in one of the vinyl covered chairs. Her knees were pulled up so her feet also rested on the seat of the chair. One arm was hugging her knees while she absently chewed on the nail of the opposite thumb. Her brown eyes shifted curiously to the door when it opened, not expecting her husband to have returned so quickly.

Fujitaka occupied another chair across from the foot of the bed, against the wall. "Syaoran-kun," he greeted in surprise. "You're awake." He was greatly relieved to his future son-in-law not only awake, but also on his feet. "How are you feeling? Do you need to sit down?" He jumped from his seat so Syaoran could sit.

"I am fine, Kinomoto-san," Syaoran assured him. He was mildly confused as to why the college professor was in Eriol's room but his questions could wait until he had seen to Eriol. "How is Eriol-kun?" he asked with trepidation.

"He is hanging in there," Kaho answered. She uncurled from her position so she was sitting normally. "Why don't you sit down, Li-kun," she insisted. "Your feet must ache from walking all the way here." Kinomoto moved his chair so it stood across the bed from Kaho. Syaoran pretended to sit down grudgingly but in truth, Kaho was right. Sitting down was a welcome relief to his burned feet. He could still see the occupant of the bed from his new position.

If it weren't for the heart monitor's steady assurance that the English sorcerer was still with them, Syaoran would have been doubtful. Eriol's face was absolutely white except for his dark lashes and the fringe of his hair which covered part of his forehead. Syaoran's eyes traced the plastic breathing tubes from his ex-classmate's nose to the edge of the bed where they disappeared from view. Eriol was also attached to an IV.

"How did you find us?" Syaoran asked Kaho eventually.

"When Richard - he's my husband - and I returned from our honeymoon to London, we had a message from Nakuru-chan that Eriol-kun was fleeing some madman and they had managed to find a flight to Korea. Knowing the sort of characters that Clow Reed - and Eriol-kun, himself - attract, I knew it was something serious, especially to make Eriol-kun up and run like that. I tried calling the Kinomotos but of course, no one was home. I next tried Tomoyo-chan's home and reached her mother, who told me about all of you flying to Hong Kong. Richard has a friend who works occasionally as a charter pilot. He doesn't usually fly long distance like from England to China but he agreed to help us. Coincidentally, we had to stop at the airport near here to refuel. While waiting, I sensed a strong magical disturbance. A local told us about a cursed tomb near here that was marked with magical runes. Anyone else would have thought he was crazy, but since we know magic really does exist, we decided to explore the tomb for clues. We found the concealment spell and a short time later, Ruby-chan, Sakura-chan, and the others found us. Sakura-chan managed to break the shield so we could enter the tomb area. Then, you unleashed a torrent of magic that practically destroyed the entire area." She said this last bit with a fond smile.

Syaoran flushed slightly. To hide his pink cheeks, he turned to his mother. "Oh yeah, mama, I got my magic back," he informed her in Cantonese. He didn't even notice the lapse into familiarity that he made with his address.

"I know," she replied proudly. Syaoran turned back to Kaho.

"That madman intended to seal Eriol-kun in the same tomb that Clow-sama had sealed him in a long time ago. The magic was the only way I could undo the seal."

"And we thank you much for that," Kaho said tearfully. She brushed her hand under her eyes and bit her lower lip to stop its trembling.

"Mizuki-sensei… I mean, Har-um…"

"You may still call me Mizuki, or Kaho," she offered, forcing herself to smile weakly.

"Mizuki-sensei," Syaoran started again, "When did you decide to marry? We all thought that you and Eriol-kun…" He feared that he was being rude in asking about her love-life, but he was very curious. It would also partially explain why Eriol and Tomoyo seemed to be closer than they had been when Eriol was a student at Tomoeda.

"We eventually realized that our feelings weren't that kind of love, as strong as they were. He is still very dear to me and I love him more than anyone, except my Richard-san, of course. When he is better, I will be sure to tell him in no uncertain terms is he ever to scare me like this again." Her tears fell now and she didn't bother to wipe them away as she regarded Clow's reincarnation.

"He will make it," Fujitaka assured her. He stood behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders. Seeing her like this made it impossible for him to continue distrusting her for what she had done to Touya. He realized that she followed her heart blindly and never had any cruel intents. Sometimes, things simply don't work out. He reached past Kaho to place a hand on Eriol's forehead. His hand glowed red briefly. Eriol's nose scrunched up and his fingers curled on one hand but he remained asleep.

"Well, that's more reaction than we've gotten so far," Kaho said, her tears forgotten as she leaned forward. "Eriol, sweetheart, will you wake up for me?" She phrased her question in English. To her disappointment, the sorcerer remained asleep.

"You're using your magic," Syaoran commented, looking up at Sakura's father.

"Yes. You mother has been kind enough to teach me a few things during your absence." Fujitaka and Yelan exchanged a brief glance. "We are hoping that by bolstering Hiiragizawa-san's magic it will help his body to heal faster."

"Fujitaka is the only one that can do that for him," Kaho continued the explanation. "I also think that having the other half of his soul nearby stabilizes him."

Mr. Hakushi returned then, bearing a tray of food. He distributed two cups of steaming tea to his wife and Fujitaka. For himself he had purchased a cup of black coffee. "I had hoped that while I was gone, he would have woken up," the doctor commented sadly as he set a cup of vanilla pudding and a plastic spoon on the bedside table.

Seeing the pudding reminded Syaoran of Kero. It made sense to him that Eriol would also like the confection as he was the reincarnation of the one who had created the gluttonous lion.

Kaho told him about Eriol's reaction to Fujitaka's touch. Mr. Hakushi was heartened by this. He took one of Eriol's smaller hands in his own and gently rubbed his other hand over the back of Eriol's. "He is slowly getting stronger," he informed the group.

"My dear Richard-san is a doctor who also understands magic. He is one of the very few who a magician can go to for medical attention. He also has a bit of magic, himself," Kaho told her past student. Syaoran regarded the man suspiciously.

A nurse entered the room and tsked when she saw the number of people within. "Too many," she scolded. "I will call for a wheelchair. You should return to your own room," she said, pointing at Syaoran. Syaoran scowled at her for kicking him out and putting him back in the dreaded wheelchair. Unfortunately, she was unfazed so Syaoran and his mother were forced to return to their old room. Fujitaka promised to let Syaoran know the instant something changed in Eriol's condition.

_tbc…_

I borrowed Syaoran's magic attacks from _Tsubasa Chronicles,_ also by CLAMP.


	21. Chapter 21

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you to my great reviewers. _Please continue to vote for whether this should be continued or not_.

Sorry for the delay in posting... I'm on vacation right now and this is the first time I've had access to computer for four days!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

Nakuru tapped her finger unconsciously on the small concrete parapet that ran along the entire perimeter of the hotel's roof. The hotel was not as nice as the one Fujitaka and Syaoran had stayed in while in Hong Kong, but at least there was room for all of them on such short notice. Nakuru and Spinel were sharing a small room while their master convalesced in the hospital. She wanted to be at the hospital but Fujitaka and Kaho had insisted that she rest at the hotel so she wouldn't be tired when Eriol did wake up.

Nakuru trusted Kaho and her husband. Even after the school teacher and her master had realized that their feelings weren't true love after all, Kaho had remained close, becoming like an older sister to the teenager. Kaho would come over to the mansion for almost all of the holidays and celebrations. In time, she started bringing her boyfriend-turned-fiancé as well. Nakuru even liked Hakushi, who was a bit older than Kaho. The doctor and psychiatrist never treated Eriol like competition for Kaho's attention. Like Kaho, he viewed the younger male like a little brother. He had even taken it upon himself to introduce Eriol to rugby so the sorcerer wouldn't spend all his free time holed up in the mansion with dusty books.

Nakuru would still laugh whenever she remembered the time she and Kaho had returned to the mansion after spending the day shopping to find Hakushi lazily watching infomercials with the remote in one hand and a can of beer in the other. Next to him on the couch was sprawled Eriol, sleeping off the beer he had imbibed over the course of a thrilling match of rugby on TV. Kaho had been quite upset and it had lead to an argument over how old Eriol really was when it came to alcohol. Hakushi argued that the teenager was actually forty-odd years old and able to make decisions for himself while Kaho insisted that his body was still only thirteen and not ready to be consuming large quantities of alcohol. Eriol had blissfully slept through the entire exchange.

None of this, however, was on Nakuru's mind at the moment. Instead, she mentally berated herself for her short-sightedness at allowing the mad magician to come so close to her master. In her mind's eye she replayed the scene over and over, feeling more guilty each time. She didn't even notice someone approaching her until Yukito sat down next to her, his soft eyes regarding her worriedly from behind metal glasses.

"Did Kaho-san call?" Nakuru questioned, unable to think of any reason why the young man would seek her out otherwise. She and Yukito had never been close.

"Not yet," Yukito replied. "I came to check on you."

"Me? We're not friends, Tsukishiro-san," she reminded him.

"We could be," he said with a shrug. "You always saw me as Yue and a threat to your gaining Touya's magic. I never disliked you."

"I was trying to take away your best friend and lover."

"My biggest wish is to see Touya-kun happy. If he had been most happy with you, I would not have tried to hold him back. I owe Touya-kun everything."

"You're too nice, Tsukishiro-san," Nakuru informed him shortly.

"Thank you, I think," Yukito replied, feeling that her statement hadn't exactly been a compliment.

"Don't you worry that you're going to be nice to the wrong person and it's going to backfire on you?"

"No," Yukito answered truthfully. "Especially now that I am learning more about my other self. My other self is quite suspicious of most people and I respect that. Touya-kun is a very good judge of character, so he would tell me if someone was untrustworthy." It was quiet for a few minutes as the two guardians thought about this last comment. Eventually, Yukito spoke again. "Do you worry about that?"

"I should have," she replied. She sniffled slightly and turned her face away so the young man couldn't see her watery eyes.

"Will you tell me about it?" he asked. "Or maybe you'd like to talk to my other self?"

"No, Yue-san is a smug jerk," Nakuru declared without much heat. "He'd only tell me what a horrible guardian I am and then go off and be self-righteous." Yukito flinched slightly at this description and tried to keep in mind that Nakuru was very upset and stressed and hopefully didn't truly mean what she said.

"I don't think you're a horrible guardian, Akizuki-chan."

"Thanks, Tsukishiro-san, but if you knew…" she trailed off.

"Knew?" he prompted.

"I practically lead that madman straight to Eriol-kun," Nakuru exclaimed tearfully. "I even invited him to meet my master when Eriol-kun was suffering from his most recent attack." She covered her face with her hands.

"How did that happen?" Yukito was stunned at this information.

"I swear I didn't know," Nakuru told him. "I didn't know who he was. Eriol-kun is my most precious person. I wouldn't lead the mad magician to him on purpose. When I saw him in front of the hotel, I didn't know who he was," she cried. "I should have known."

"I'm very confused, Akizuki-chan," Yukito admitted. He reached over to place a comforting hand on her quivering shoulder. Nakuru took a few seconds to compose herself before starting her story.

"Right after Sakura-chan destroyed the shield around the tomb, I noticed the madman Edward Winston fleeing from the area. I set off in pursuit to stop him and bring him to justice for hurting Eriol-kun so much. His back was to me as I chased him in the air. I shot him through the shoulder with one of my arrows to slow him down since he didn't stop when I yelled at him. He fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder.

"It only took me a moment to land next to him. Roughly, I grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over so I could see the face of the man who was trying to kill my master. As soon as I saw his face, I realized why he had looked familiar when I was chasing him. I hadn't known him as Edward Winston, but as Eddie Smith.

" 'Eddie!' I exclaimed in shock.

" 'Nakuru! How did you get here? What's going on? What was that explosion?' He pretended to not know what had just happened and that he had nothing to do with it, but I'm not stupid even if I do act flighty sometimes.

" 'You're the one who has been tormenting my master,' I accused him. I was so hurt. I genuinely liked Eddie Smith, almost as much as Touya-kun. I felt like I had been impaled by one of my own crystals at the betrayal. He must have known the game was up so he stopped acting innocent.

" 'You finally figured it out, Nakuru, or should I say, Ruby Moon,' he sneered. He stumbled to his feet and smirked at me. His look was sinister. 'I had hoped you wouldn't. Now that your master is dead, you could have come to me for comfort after returning to London.'

"I couldn't help myself as I replied, 'I trusted you, Eddie.'

" 'You were foolish to do so, Nakuru.' I felt so heartbroken and betrayed that I could do nothing but watch as he started running again and eventually transported himself elsewhere. I simply knelt there in the snow and tried to breathe."

"I'm so sorry, Akizuki-san," Yukito said sincerely. He learned forward to hug her, a move that surprised both of them. Nakuru returned the hug, glad that she had been able to share her burden with someone else.

"Thank you for listening, Tsukishiro-san."

"Hiiragizawa-san will forgive you, Akizuki-chan. You couldn't have known," Yukito assured her. "He will probably say there is nothing to forgive."

"I can't forgive myself," she wept, pressing her face to his shoulder again. He rubbed her back with one hand until she was able to stop crying. Even when she stopped, she remained hidden in his arms, unable to face the world just yet. Yukito turned his face towards the door to the stairwell. Touya stood there, watching them with a concerned look on his face. Yukito, or rather Yue, had noticed his presence about halfway through Nakuru's narrative but neither thought Nakuru would want Touya to know about her mistake yet.

Silently, Touya pulled open the door again and let it slam shut. Nakuru's head shot up to see who it was. When she recognized Yukito's lover, she pulled away from the boy in question. "I finally found you," Touya commented as if he hadn't been standing there for the last ten minutes. "I was wondering where you disappeared to, Yuki."

"Akizuki-chan and I were having a heart-to-heart," Yukito told him.

"Is everything alright?" Touya asked with genuine concern. He reached the two guardians and knelt down. He studied Nakuru's face closely to see if he could judge her mood.

"It will be," Yukito answered optimistically. Nakuru faintly nodded in agreement.

"Good," Touya stated. "If you're feeling up to dealing with the monsters, we should return to the room. Sakura-chan is impatient to return to the hospital. Otou-san just called. The kid is going to be released this afternoon and the wizard woke up for a few minutes." His good news was greeted with a small glimmer of hope in Nakuru's eyes, even though she felt sure she couldn't face her beloved master right now. She felt too guilty.

"To-ya," Yukito chided lovingly at the use of Touya's "pet" names for the two youngest males.

* * *

Nurse Chan was quite frustrated with the "family" of the young English patient in the ICU. Their blatant disregard for the maximum allowed number of persons in an ICU room at one time had been a constant source of confrontation between the nurse and the group. She was sick of telling them to clear out and they were sick of being cleared out. It was made even worse now that the young man had finally awoken. No one wanted to be the last to see him.

She had grown comfortable with the permanent fixtures in the room: the Japanese man, Kinomoto if she remembered correctly, was quiet and his presence seemed to do the Japanese-English boy good; the Japanese woman from England seemed to be the only one truly related to the teenager (what Nurse Chan didn't know couldn't hurt her); and her husband came and went rather regularly. However, the young teenagers and college-aged youths were loud and disruptive and the one Chinese girl in particular was quite stubborn.

Fortunately, the other patient would be leaving that afternoon and Nurse Chan hoped that most of the group would accompany him. At least, his mother, cousin (this she actually believed, since both were Chinese), and girlfriend might return to their hotel.

She glanced down the short hallway and saw through the window that the room was once again holding too many people. With a sigh and a wish for aspirin for her headache, Nurse Chan rose from her seat and went to clear out the room once more.

"Where is Nakuru?" Eriol questioned sometime the next afternoon. He was slowly working on a cup of vanilla pudding which Hakushi had thoughtfully brought for him since the hospital food left much to be desired.

"She's in the waiting room," Spinel answered.

"Why isn't she here?" Eriol persisted, looking between his guardian and friend, Kaho. He turned to look out the window into the hallway, hoping to see his missing guardian. "She isn't so mad at me that she won't see me, is she?"

"No," Mr. Hakushi answered from Eriol's other side. "She is feeling guilty about something and is worried that you will be angry with her." Nakuru hadn't told anyone else after Yukito about her confrontation with Winfordshire.

"I doubt it," Eriol muttered. "Please tell her to come see me. I need to see her." He looked beseechingly at Mr. Hakushi.

"She will come when she is ready," the doctor replied. "Finish your pudding, kiddo."

Eriol set the dessert aside sourly. He wanted to see his guardian. He was ready to find her himself if she wouldn't come to him. He couldn't imagine anything that would keep Nakuru away from him, especially when he really needed her. Nakuru and Spinel had been with him since he first learned that he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed and Nakuru's absence was achingly obvious to the young sorcerer.

"When can I get out of here?" Eriol asked, changing the subject.

"You've only been awake for a few hours, kiddo," Mr. Hakushi reminded him. "It will be a while yet."

"Syaoran got to go to the hotel," Eriol pointed out.

"Syaoran didn't come out of that situation with half as many ailments as you," Kaho argued. "But, if you're feeling that much better, perhaps now is a good time for me to inform you of my feelings towards your sudden departure to Japan."

"I am in the ICU, Kaho," Eriol moaned. "Obviously I am too ill to hear about how disappointed you are in me… again."

Kaho laughed. "Convenient, isn't that, Eriol?" He scowled at her and turned away. His eyes landed on Spinel.

"Spinel, would you please find Nakuru?" he implored.

"She doesn't listen to me," Spinel stated.

"Try?" Eriol insisted.

"As you wish," Spinel agreed grudgingly.

"I'll go with you," Mr. Hakushi offered. Spinel landed in his arms so the doctor could carry the guardian out of the room in order to keep up his guise as a stuffed toy. Once the two were gone, Eriol eyed the distance between himself and the door and Kaho and the door. Since she was seated on the far side of the bed, it would give him a small advantage, but judging by how weak he felt, he would need a huge advantage to make it down the hall before she caught him. Besides, she knew him well enough to watch him closely for any escape attempts.

His hopes were further dashed when a freshly showered Fujitaka entered the room and smiled at his young counterpart. "I am glad to see that you are still awake, Eriol-san." Over the course of time spent in the cramped room, Fujitaka had picked up on Kaho and Richard's less formal address of the younger reincarnation.

Eriol glowered at him in response, not for the name which he was actually secretly pleased with, but for the fact that Fujitaka would also object to Eriol leaving the bed.

Fujitaka didn't even blink. He took his usual seat at the foot of the bed. Eriol's face cleared and he addressed the Japanese man courteously. "Kinomoto-san, would you please go to the waiting room and see if Nakuru-chan is there? Let her know that I wish to see her."

"Hakushi-san is speaking with her. I passed them on the way here," Fujitaka replied. Eriol was beginning to feel like the whole world was against him.

"I've been through hell and back these past few days and I'm trapped in a hospital with wires and needles stuck everywhere and all I want is to see my guardian and no one will help me," he cried with large crocodile tears. Fujitaka, who didn't know Eriol as well as Kaho, looked dismayed and was about to offer to try his own luck with Nakuru, but the school teacher shook her head at him.

"You know that your dramatics don't work on me, Eriol-kun," she told the teenager. "We are trying as hard as we can to get Nakuru-chan to agree to come in here but in the end the choice is up to her."

"My dramatics work on Nakuru-chan," Eriol sighed, his fake tears gone as quickly as they had come. "You don't love me at all, Kaho-chan."

"Not at all," she agreed with a warm laugh. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

Mr. Hakushi returned with Spinel and, to Eriol's joy, his errant guardian. Nakuru approached the bed shyly as Eriol watched her progress hopefully. When she reached the side of the bed, Eriol reached out to take her hand. "I'm very sorry, Nakuru," he said in English. This seemed to take Nakuru by surprise. She had completely forgotten her own anger at her master for leaving without telling anyone and getting himself captured by the mad sorcerer.

"Not as sorry as I am," Nakuru countered. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"We should let them have some privacy," Kaho suggested to the two men. Silently, they left the sorcerer and his two guardians to have their conversation in private.

"Why are you sorry, Nakuru?"

"For helping that madman to get close to you, Eriol," she admitted.

"I don't understand," Eriol said after a brief pause. Her words alarmed him but her expression was one of true repentance.

"Eriol, Edward Winston is Eddie Smith," Nakuru blurted and immediately burst into tears. "The boy I was seeing in London." Everything immediately seemed to make sense to Eriol. He realized that Nakuru hadn't actually invited his tormentor to get close to her guardian but numerous times she had expressed interest in having Eriol meet her current beau. He knew that Nakuru hadn't know who Winston, or rather Winfordshire actually was. When Eriol had met the antagonist at Heathrow, Nakuru hadn't seen him and couldn't have made the connection then.

"It's not your fault," Eriol assured her. "You couldn't have know, Nakuru."

"But if I wasn't so flirty I wouldn't have gotten to know him. When I look back I see all the suspicious things that he did or said, but I was blinded by my infatuation with him. I failed you as a guardian."

"You didn't," Eriol insisted. "I made you like that and I like you like that. Don't blame yourself, Nakuru. You and Spinel have helped me the most since this whole thing started and you two are the only ones I care about being nearby. You're part of me, Nakuru, and I need you, no matter who you like at the time, mad sorcerer or not."

"Oh, Eriol," Nakuru cried. She threw her arms around him and hugged him for all she was worth. Eriol endured the hug until his lungs protested.

"Please don't leave me again, Nakuru. I need you to help me fight off all these well-to-doers who want to keep me trapped in this lumpy bed." This caused Nakuru to laugh tearfully. She wiped at her eyes and bounced up and down on the bed.

"I don't think it's that bad," she joked.

"It is," Eriol promised her.

"Thank you for not being angry with me," Nakuru said seriously.

"Thank you for not yelling at me for sneaking away in Hong Kong. I know that Kaho is more than ready to give me that lecture. Maybe if I pretend to be on my death bed until she forgets I can escape."

"Maybe," Nakuru said with a shrug. "It is Kaho, after all."

Eriol yawned. Having finally seen the one person he truly wanted to see, the adrenaline that had been keeping him awake quit.

"You should lay down, master," Spinel suggested. He landed on Eriol's pillow.

"Yes, you should," Nakuru echoed. Once Eriol was situated in the lumpy bed, Nakuru tucked the blankets snugly around him. She sat down in the chair Kaho had vacated and made herself comfortable. She wouldn't leave Eriol's side again.

_tbc…_

Let me know what you think and if I should continue. Two chapters to go.


	22. Chapter 22

**Settling of Scores** by firestar385. A _Cardcaptor Sakura_ story.

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the _Cardcaptor Sakura_ characters, who belong to CLAMP. Plot and original characters belong to me. None of this is making me any money. Any similarities to other works is strictly a coincidence. All mistakes are mine.

Thank you reviewers. Many people have told me to continue, so I probably will, but please keep telling me what you think of the story.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

"How are your feet?" Meiling asked her cousin.

"Fine," Syaoran replied, pulling his knees up so she couldn't poke his feet again.

"Are you really doing well?" Sakura asked worriedly. She lounged next to Syaoran on the hotel bed in the room Syaoran was sharing with his mother and cousin.

"I am," Syaoran said fondly. He stared into Sakura's eyes and thought about how much he loved her and how lucky he was that she loved him back. Since waking up in the hospital he had heard the whole story about the rescue attempt. Like her guardians, Syaoran had worried that Sakura had pushed herself too hard, especially when he learned that she had been too weak to fly after the shield was broken.

He glanced over to where Tomoyo was sitting next to the window. He was surprised to not hear the electronic hum of her V8 or her exclamations of _kawaii_! Instead, she was lost in thought.

Meiling noticed her distraction as well. "Who are you thinking about, Miss Daidouji?"

Tomoyo started at the sound of her name. "Oh, I'm sorry Meiling-chan," she apologized. "What did you ask?"

"I asked who you are thinking about," Meiling repeated. Syaoran and Sakura looked at her curiously as well.

"Oh, no one," Tomoyo lied nervously. "Oh, did I miss a cute moment between Sakura-chan and Li-kun?" Her attempt to change the subject was half-hearted at most and she didn't even bother to pick up her V8 which had been discarded in the seat next to her.

Meiling was not easily deterred. "You're thinking about Hiiragizawa-kun, aren't you?"

"Meiling…" Syaoran warned, shooting his cousin a dark look. Meiling wasn't bothered.

"You've been thinking about him a lot since we returned from the tomb, Miss Daidouji," Meiling continued.

"Well, I am worried about him," Tomoyo hedged. "He was seriously wounded."

"Syaoran-kun was hurt pretty badly too, Miss Daidouji, but you're not day-dreaming about him."

"I was not," Syaoran argued.

"Yes, you were, Xiao," Meiling countered. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Sakura-chan, is your father staying at the hospital again tonight?" Tomoyo asked her best friend.

"I think so," the Card Mistress replied. "Even though Eriol-kun has woken up, Otou-san and Mizuki-sensei think it best if he stays nearby."

"Don't worry about what Meiling-chan says, Daidouji-chan," Syaoran spoke up. "Hiiragizawa-kun isn't good enough for you, anyway."

"Oh, that's mean, Syao-kun," Sakura scolded lightly. "Eriol-kun is very nice."

"But for Daidouji-chan? She deserves better than anyone out there."

"So you want her to be lonely for the rest of her life?" Meiling deadpanned.

"What? No!" Syaoran threw a pillow at his cousin.

"What about Sakura-chan? Is she not too good for anyone?" Meiling pestered him.

"Except for me," Syaoran informed her with mock conceitedness. "But since I'm taken, no one good enough remains for Daidouji-chan."

"Thank you for your esteem, Li-kun, but I think I can decide who is good enough for me or not," Tomoyo said calmly.

"Do you think Hiiragizawa-kun is good enough for you, Miss Daidouji?" Meiling questioned. Tomoyo was saved from answering by the ringing of the phone.

* * *

The hospital room was dark, with only enough light to make one's way around without knocking into a machine or piece of furniture or to read with slight difficulty. Eriol had been sleeping soundly since his private conversation with Nakuru and Spinel. Kaho and her husband had retired to the hotel so they could shower and rest comfortably. Kaho had finally felt comfortable leaving the small room after Eriol had been awake for a few hours and was acting mostly like his usual self. Nakuru sat in the chair near the bed reading a magazine that Kaho had had with her on the plane. Spinel dozed in her lap.

This left Fujitaka. The Japanese archaeologist had been looking through a book of Clow's that Yelan was loaning him while the silent night hours slowly ticked by. He was more than willing to sit with the younger reincarnation but that still didn't ease this stiffness in his muscles from sitting for so long.

All was quiet in the room, down the hall, and in the hospital in general. The lights were only turned low now that Eriol was sleeping. When awake, the sorcerer wanted practically every light in the room on lest he be reminded of his brief imprisonment in the tomb.

"Akizuki-chan," Fujitaka spoke quietly. The guardian's ruby-colored eyes lifted from the page she was reading to regard him curiously. "I am going to take a short break. I will return in a few minutes." Nakuru nodded in understanding before returning to her magazine. Fujitaka stretched his tired body before making his way silently and slowly out of the hospital room. The men's room was only a few doors down so it didn't take him long to reach it.

As the door closed behind him, another figure came around the corner, walking leisurely down the hall while chatting quietly on his cell phone.

* * *

"It's for you," Meiling informed her cousin as she handed him the phone.

"Who is it?" Syaoran asked.

"I forgot to ask, but it's a man. Probably Hakushi-san." Syaoran took the phone from her.

"Hello?" he said in Japanese in case it was Hakushi.

"Li Xiaolang. It is true, after all, that you and Clow Reed managed to escape my associates."

Syaoran jerked the phone away from his ear and slammed it back down on the receiver.

"What?" demanded Meiling. Sakura and Tomoyo were instantly alert.

"W-winfordshire," Syaoran stuttered in shock.

"Who?"

"The mad sorcerer," Syaoran explained in a panic. "We have to call the hospital! Sakura-chan, do you remember the phone number to Hiiragizawa-kun's room?"

"I have it written down somewhere," Sakura replied frantically as she dig through her bag for the slip of paper with the hospital number on it.

"Hurry!" Syaoran prodded. He clutched the phone in one hand while his other hovered over the keypad, waiting for the numbers he needed to dial.

"I can't find it!" Sakura cried. Meiling snatched the purse out of her hands and dumped everything onto the bed. Tomoyo found the paper first. She read off the numbers to Syaoran.

"No one is answering," Syaoran informed them after about ten rings. "Answer the phone!" he shouted into the receiver.

The door to the room slammed open. "What is going on in here?" demanded Touya as he and Yukito entered the room.

"The madman just called our room!" Sakura told her brother. "Now we can't get through to the hospital!"

"Damn it," Touya swore. As one, the group prepared to hurry over to the hospital.

* * *

Nakuru didn't look up immediately as the man entered the room through the door that Fujitaka had left open. It took her a second to realize that the man's aura was familiar but it wasn't that of Clow Reed. It was…

"Winston!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. The shout woke Spinel and Eriol.

"Good-bye, Nakuru," the madman snapped. He threw his hand out in the guardians' direction, trapping them in a magic cage, much like the ones he had used to capture Syaoran and Eriol in Yi's office. "And for your information, it's Winfordshire, not Winston." Winfordshire wasted no more time before striding over to the bed and fisting his hand in the fabric of Eriol's hospital gown.

"Prepare to die, Clow Reed. I won't leave anything to chance, this time." In his opposite hand, he held a long knife.

"Let me go," Eriol ordered. He kicked at his tormentor but his legs became tangled in the bedding.

"Stop struggling," Winfordshire seethed. He hauled Eriol out of the bed and threw him to the hard tile floor. "Cower before me, Clow Reed. I will show you no mercy."

"Get away from him," commanded a strong male voice. Winfordshire turned in surprise.

"Who do you think you are?" the mad magician demanded. He swung the knife around to point at Fujitaka. "I will destroy Clow Reed - you will not stop me." While he was partially distracted, Eriol tried to sneak away, but Winfordshire wasn't distracted enough. He grabbed Eriol's wrist just as Fujitaka got a hold of Eriol's other arm. Winfordshire's one arm was severely weakened by the badly treated wound he had sustained from Ruby's arrow. This resulted in his losing the brief tug-of-war with Fujitaka. The Japanese man pulled Eriol out of Winfordshire's reach.

"I will stop you," Fujitaka retorted. "Killing half of Clow Reed's reincarnation will not destroy Clow Reed himself." As he said this, Fujitaka pushed Eriol behind him. Eriol held himself up with one hand clutching the back of Fujitaka's sweater and used his free hand to summon his staff.

"Key with the power of darkness, show me your true power. By the covenant, I, Eriol, command you. Release," he chanted under his breath. At the appearance of Clow's magic circle, Winfordshire leapt forward to attack Fujitaka so he could get to Eriol. Fujitaka barely managed to shove Winfordshire away and avoid being cut by the blade the mad sorcerer wielded.

"Why do you bother?" Winfordshire sneered. "Look at him, he can't even stand up." From around Fujitaka, the mad sorcerer could see that Eriol had dropped to his knees and was clutching his staff with white fingers. "Clow Reed is weak!"

"Key of the darkness," Eriol whispered. "There is another who bears the soul of your original master. Help him!" Fujitaka reached behind himself. Eriol pushed the staff into his hand. He had to hold himself off the floor with his hands as his only partially healed body quivered. He forced himself to grasp Fujitaka's leg with one hand.

"I am also Clow Reed and I am not weak," Fujitaka informed the madman. "Clow Reed reincarnated himself into two people and though I may not have many of his memories or much of his knowledge, I will not let you hurt my other half again." Fujitaka held the staff out before himself, the sun-head tilted towards the magician.

"You lie!" Winfordshire accused him, not wanting to believe that Clow had done such a thing. "Stand aside so I can kill the brat and then I will deal with you!" Winfordshire threw a spell at the archaeologist.

"Shield!" Eriol shouted. To Winfordshire's dismay, his spell was deflected and took out the heart monitor instead.

"I don't lie," Fujitaka informed the man. "Stand down before anything else is destroyed."

"Like I care about this pathetic hospital," Winfordshire laughed manically. "If you are also the reincarnation of Clow Reed, then why don't you have guardians?" He turned his anger towards the trapped Nakuru and Spinel, who couldn't even change into their true forms. He sent a stream of fire in their direction.

"Water!" Eriol countered. The powerful jet of water from the end of the staff managed to extinguish the flames before they reached the guardians. "Freeze!"

Winfordshire was encased in ice but this didn't stop him for long. With a shout of rage, he shattered the spell. The backlash caused Fujitaka to falter slightly, something that Winfordshire didn't miss. "You are just as weak. Can you even fight me without the brat calling the shots?" Winfordshire raised the hand of his good arm above his head. When he brought it down, lightning erupted from his fingertips.

"Shadow!" Eriol shouted. The black shadows oozed from the end of the staff and twisted around the lightning bolt, extinguishing it's damaging power.

"Fight me yourself!" Winfordshire taunted Fujitaka. He lunged forward without a spell, using instead his knife. While trying to dodge the swipe, Fujitaka tripped over Eriol and crashed into the wall. A shower of medical supplied rained down on the two reincarnations from a shelf above their heads. Winfordshire used the opportunity to stab at Fujitaka again. The knife tore through the fabric of the archaeologist's sweater but missed flesh. Fujitaka grabbed his arm.

"Cloud," Eriol called. The room filled with fog, blinding the mad magician enough for Fujitaka to disarm him and kick the knife across the room to skid under a cabinet. Winfordshire stumbled around in the thick vapor, looking for something to attack with. He picked up anything that would move and hurled it in the direction he thought the two reincarnations were in, along with random jets of fire. Fujitaka somewhat skillfully avoided the fire and flying objects and searched the spells he remembered from Yelan for something that would stop the Englishman.

"Wind magic, lend me your power," he requested. He felt a breeze ruffle through his hair and the cloud dissipated. "Bind," he said calmly, pointing the staff at the sorcerer. Tendrils of magic swirled around Winfordshire, trapping his arms to his sides and his legs together.

"Sleep," Eriol barely managed to say. Winfordshire's head drooped to his chest where he stood. "Mist, break the bars that bind my guardians. Sno-" He slumped forward against the back of Fujitaka's knees.

"Snow, suffocate the flames that threaten this room," Fujitaka finished. Once the fires caused by Winfordshire's blind attacks had been put out and a nice pile of white powder rested in the corners, Fujitaka transformed the staff back into its key form. He turned and scooped Eriol up into his arms just as Nakuru and Spinel reached his side.

Nurses and doctors rushed into the room once the barrier that had kept them at bay failed due to Winfordshire's unconsciousness. "What happened in here?" demanded the head doctor.

"Your security leaves something to be desired," Fujitaka informed him. "I'll be taking Hiiragizawa-san somewhere safe, if you don't mind. Please make sure that this man does not escape." Without another word, Fujitaka marched from the room. Nakuru and Spinel followed closely behind him.

_tbc…_

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.

**Author's Note**: My theory is that Clow could probably do all of his magic spells before he created his Cards, so therefore Eriol uses some of the same spells as Sakura, but he doesn't use the Cards.


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